Konoha Advent: Shadows in the Stars
by Zophiel
Summary: Sequel to Konoha Advent: I'll Be Home for Christmas. KakaIru, NaruSasuGaa, Slash and het. There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in Iruka's philosophies. Kyuubi learns he was wrong about some things. Supernatural/ Spiritual themes.
1. Whispers

Here is the sequal to _Konoha Advent: I'll Be Home for Christmas. _If you haven't read that, go do that-- this story builds on things set up in that. This is not a challenge fic, so I'm not as constrained by time or themes. Please enjoy!

[Disclaimer: My Kakashi, Kyuubi!Naruto, and Gaara plushies tell me that although I own _them_, I don't own the actual characters that you would recognize. Too bad, ne? And serly, if I was making money off this. . . I sure as hell wouldn't be waking up so early to get to work. . .]

Chapter 1: Whispers

The Raikage watched as the other raft left over the waves, his advisor standing silent beside him. Only the soft slap of water against wood sounded as mist and fog gradually covered the visitors now departing for their own lands.

"I think," he mused when he was sure they were out of hearing range. "that no matter what I decided, I would regret it anyway. To choose to have either all of Mist, or the might of Konoha crushing us. . ." he sighed, suppressing his vexation.

His advisor silently agreed, knowing the quandaries that plagued the office of Kage. Personally, he himself would have immediately sent word to Konoha in warning, but he was not the Raikage, only the kage's advisor, and so did not have the same limitations as the other man did.

So he kept his silence, jaw clenching slightly in concern. This did not go unnoticed by his superior.

"You will abide by my decision?" he asked, looking into the blind red eyes with concern.

The other nodded. "You have been put against your will into an impossible situation, and are doing what you must to ensure the survival of you people. I respect that, and will not put your efforts in jeopardy."

He drew breath, and let it out slowly in thought. "Besides, I believe the Misukage has decided to wake a sleeping bear. Konoha may end up hurt, but I think Mist will no longer exist in a few months. Which will render this whole situation moot."

"Indeed," the Raikage agreed.

* * * * *

Ninja villages were quiet at night, but never could one say they "slept." The watch was kept, the elders bickered into the late hours as the kage toiled over piles of paperwork, and the young tried to pack as much fun into their lives as possible. But, still, some ninja did sleep and in Konoha, those ninja also dreamed.

In the small house near the Academy, Kakashi and Iruka dreamed together, though they thought they dreamed alone. In their dream, they sat beneath a solitary tree atop a grassy hill, looking out into a night sky full of stars. They were surprised with Yondaime walked up from behind them.

"Look!" He pointed toward a part of the sky where the stars glowed and flickered restlessly. "The stars battle, only the moon shields us. A voice long silenced will cry out in the desert, the morning star will fall to the gates of Konoha, and this will be when our family, long split, must come together again."

Kakashi wanted to ask his old sensei just what in the hell he meant. Instead, he asked "When will this happen?"

Minato tore his gaze to look at them with a small smile. "After the dolphin has drowned in the rip-tide, after the fires of Heaven and Hell have danced, that is when this will happen."

"Cryptic much?" Iruka commented, hoping there were more interpretations to a dolphin drowning.

The blond grinned. "I do what I must for the survival of my people. _Our_ people. _All people_, even." He sighed. "Coincidence can only be stretched so far, and our son is possessed by a demon. Read of that what you will, but like the man said, there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in our philosophies—"

He paused, head tilted as though listening to something far away, his face becoming serious. "Do not fear, and all will be well. _They're coming_."

* * * * *

Across town, in a section once held by a now nearly extinct clan, another ninja tossed and turned with his nightmare while his husbands watched with concern and, in the case of one, deep regret.

"S'suke, don't go!" the whispered plea fell from lips pale from fear. "Gaara, he's—Gaara, you can't, please!"

Above and around him, the two mentioned frowned. They both knew this dream well, and they knew that no matter how hard they might shake him, Naruto wouldn't awaken. They knew that, in his nightmare, Gaara lay dead in his arms while Sasuke ran away, smaller and smaller on the horizon. Naruto would wake up, eventually. In the meantime, all they could do was hold him, try to reassure some part of him that they were still there, and alive.

Sasuke gave a small smile when Gaara's hand covered his own on Naruto's chest, and the two shared a look of understanding.

_Naruto, I swear I'm never leaving you again. Someday you'll believe it, I promise._

* * * * *

Far to the east, in the rebuilt ruins of an ancient civilization, Agnessa Chekhov, formerly of New Myshkin but more recently of the ancient port of Marseille, was finishing a season of silence under the watchful guidance of _Les Filles de Sainte Jeanne_. Certainly, she had not been left unable to express herself, writing copious pages of reflections and thoughts, and learning the hand language the other women used during what they called the Great Silence.

She sat demurely under the stern gaze of Mother Therese who was reviewing the final pages of the Chronicle she'd written during her silence.

"Child, after the season of silence, how are you faring?"

To her surprise, Agnessa found herself disinclined to speech, the silence having grown comforting and serene. Still, when the reverend mother asked you a question, you answered.

"I am well, Revered Mother."

The comforting silence descended again for a brief instant before the elder spoke again. "Today is the last day of your postulancy. You are free to leave, if you wish. Or, if you desire, you may enter the novitiate. What is your decision?"

Agnessa had been praying and meditating on that very question for the past four weeks, and had her answer ready. "If I may, Reverend Mother, I would like to attempt the novitiate."_Attempt_ was the word used because many women became novices, but few went any further, most leaving for the world of marriage and families.

Yet again silence fell as the older woman nodded her agreement, picking up Angessa's Chronicle once again. "Your writings were quite fascinating—the sisters have hung on every word you have written about your life in and leaving from New Myshkin. I have a question which may seem odd, but you will understand soon enough. You write of meeting two elite ninja who went by the names _Monsieur Renard_ and _Monsieur Loup_. By any chance, did you ever meet or hear of a _Monsieur Dauphin_?"

Agnessa translated furiously in her head. . . Mr. Fox and Mr. Wolf. . . did she know of a Mr. Dolphin? Actually. . .

"Monsier Loup did refer to his husband as—" her eyes narrowed as she translated through three languages "— '_Mon petit Dauphin_.' I seem to recall that this same 'Dauphin' was Renard's first teacher, as well."

A long, deep sign met her response, and then a decisive nod. "Today is the feast of St. Maria Goretti. Tonight in the chapel you will take temporary vows and don the veil of the novice. Tomorrow, your studies and training begin in earnest. Sister Julian—you recall she is Weapons Mistress-- will wake you before dawn to begin you training. And in two weeks, we will leave for the Nation of Fire, and you will be our guide."

Agnessa blinked. "So soon?" she gasped.

Her superior withheld a snort. "I would leave tomorrow, except you must learn the basics of the sword on land, lest you learn to defend yourself in the manner of a drunken pirate!" She sighed. "You will understand soon enough but, simply put, we've been waiting a long time for you and your story. Now that you are here, we cannot wait. Your studies and training will be ceaseless, on land and sea, and they will be hard and wearying. . . but I promise you that they will be worth the effort."

Agnessa took a deep breath. "I am ready, Reverend Mother."

"No, you _aren't_. I'm _still_ not ready." She replied. "But we've no choice in the matter, so put properly; we are both as ready as we _can _be."

Silence descended once more. It would be hard enough to find in the coming months.

* * * * *

Tsunade held the missive loosely in herd hands, chewing her bottom lip. The words were innocuous enough, believable enough, and yet. . . and yet she couldn't shake the really bad feeling she got when reading them. She raked her mind for any halfway decent excuse to refuse the request, but again and again came up blank.

She sighed in defeat. "Shizune, please fetch Iruka-sensei. I have a mission for him." Her assistant nodded. With sudden inspiration, she continued. "Get Kakashi, too. And have somebody get these others: Naruto, Hinata, Shino and . . . Sakura should do. I've got a job for them as well."


	2. Suspicions

Here's chapter 2. Buncha talkin', but kinda important. More coming soonish! (Like, a week. . .)

_____________________________________

Konoha Advent: Shadows in the Stars

Chapter 2: Suspicions

___________________________________

_Blue bells, cockle shells,_

_Easy, Ivy, O-ver!_

_The rope swung up and down as Sakura skipped over it, Ino and Hinata chanting in time with their swinging._

_Roses! Sundews!_

_Forget-me-Nots!_

_Who's your boyfriend--_

_I forgot!_

_A! B! C! D! . . ._

_Inevitably, Sakura would hold steady through the increasing tempo of the ropes until she—every time-- stumbled on the letter "S", always teased by the other girls with exultant cries of "Shikamaru!" or "Shino!" Never "Sasuke" though, because even at seven years old, the young Uchiha was no laughing matter for any of the girls._

_Naruto would sit on the swing and watch as the others played. The girls would always trip on "S"-- except Hinata who, although otherwise the most agile girl in the class, would always trip earlier . . . on "N."_

"Ah, Naruto, I didn't expect to see you here today!" Naruto was pulled from his memories by his old sensei's voice.

He looked up with a grin, idly swaying on the old swing. "Well, you know, Gaara left yesterday for his visit to Suna, Sasuke's on File Room duty, and my students are still recovering from their last mis-ranked mission. I only had them run around Konoha three times this morning before letting them go. Poor kids. . ."

Iruka grinned, leaning against the tree as they both watched the students play while waiting for their parents to pick them up.

"How is the new Team Seven progressing?" he asked.

Naruto's smile was small but proud. "They're really coming along. Umeko is still afraid of using her natural talents, even though she's proved she has control over them. Yamamaru and Ringo have calmed down a bit, even though Yamamaru still can't shut up for long periods of time." Sky blue eyes twinkled with amusement. "I keep asking if he intends to talk enemies to death-- he's starting to say he will."

Iruka snorted. "If anyone could figure out a way to do that, it be him."

Naruto grinned in agreement. "It had helped Umeko, though. He's really helped to bring her out of her shell. I've been thinking of asking Hinata to talk to her. . . Hinata has managed to become a well-respected Jounin and still keep her gentleness, and I think she would be a good inspiration for Umeko. . ."

Iruka nodded. "That's a good idea, Naruto. She may have some good insight into being a woman and a kunoichi, as well as some points for dealing with bloodline--"

He stopped when the ANBU appeared before both of them. "Umino Iruka, Uzumaki Naruto, the Hokage requires both of you in her office immediately!"

The two barely had the chance to grunt an affirmative before the cloaked figure blew away in a swirl of leaves.

"Huh," Naruto blinked. "Wonder what _she_ wants?"

When they arrived, they were mildly surprised to see Kakashi, Hinata, Sakura, Shino, and Naruto's genin team (the new Team Seven), in addition to the Hokage, Shizune, Sasuke, and the Ambassador from Rock, Mamoru. Kakashi was leaning against the wall, his one eye narrowed in suppressed anger, arms crossed as though restraining himself from violence.

"Hokage-sama," They both bowed in unison, Naruto being sure to show proper respect in front of the foreign nin.

Tsunade was scowling, and shoved a paper at their faces. "The Mizukage says he wants a peace treaty." She growled as Iruka took the sheet and began scanning it's contents. "He's requested we send an envoy for negotiations."

Naruto frowned. Wasn't this good news? "So, what's the bad news?" he asked.

The Hokage bit her lower lip. "He's requested that the envoy be Iruka." That explained why Kakashi looked ready to spit nails.

Naruto blinked, his head tilting to the side, a frown marring his face as that bit on information settled uneasily in his stomach. "That's. . . disturbing. He say why he wants Iruka-sensei?"

Iruka, finished reading, passed the paper over. "He says he's heard I'm a rational person, not as given to the customary psychosis of most experienced shinobi. He wants to meet me."

Naruto's eyes passed over the words, his irises bleeding into a violet color as Kyuubi took an interest.

"That's bullshit." They decided, doubled voices speaking in unison. "He's planning something."

"Dammit." The shinobi gathered understood that Tsunade's curse wasn't about Naruto's and the demon's bluntness, but more that their instincts had affirmed theirs. She sighed. "That's exactly the same thing everyone else has said. I _should_ turn him down, or say I'll send someone else . . ."

"Buuut?" the blond prompted, handing back the letter.

She crumpled it in disgust. "But we've been pleading for a treaty for years, and turning them down now simply because we have a bad feeling makes all our peace attempts seem shallow and meaningless. I've got no reason to think he's planning anything, except for a bad feeling."

"We-el," Naruto hedged. "And the fact that the Mizukage really doesn't have the most honest reputation."

Tzunade chuffed. "We're shinobi, Naruto. Who does?"

"Iruka-sensei?"

A single honey colored eyebrow lifted.

"I mean, aside from the traps and the pranking and the completely devious--" Naruto stopped himself. "Eheheh! Right, point taken. . ."

"So," The Hokage continued "I suspect the Mizukage's going to try something. But, if I call him out on it, we can forget ever trying to make peace with the Raikage, or get any of the other smaller nations to sign on. So, I have to send Iruka, even though I'd very much rather not."

Iruka took a deep breath. "I am honored by the trust," he bowed slightly.

"Hmm, indeed. The way I see it, this mission will go one of two ways. If it goes well, Iruka will set the preliminary terms for a peace. Team Seven, you will act as assistants to him and, when not doing that, will try to make friends with anyone you find around your age." She gave a wry smile. "That's how your sensei has managed to make what peace we have." She sighed, serious again.

"If, however, it goes bad, I suspect he'll kill Iruka to provoke a war. I've already sent him a note warning him, and have sent copies to Iwa and Suna as well. If, despite my warnings, he _does_, we cannot let that go unanswered . . . So! Kakashi and Naruto, you'll be his escorts-- as ANBU. Sakura, Hinata and Shino will be your immediate backups. I've already send word to the nins in the field to change their positions. We'll have an armada of ships waiting off the coast of Wave Country, but the back up team will be stationed on Halfmoon island, right outside Kiri. Should anything untoward happen to Iruka or either of his escorts, our forces will move in immediately. I want them crushed before they have the chance to regret their actions!"

"Wait a moment, Hokage-sama!" Naruto fidgeted. "With such a high chance for war, do you really want a genin team in the middle of this?"

Tsunade paused in thought. "Team Seven will wait on Halfmoon with the back up team until Iruka, Kakashi and Naruto have been in negotiations a full day. That should be enough time to determine the Mizukage's true intentions. . . if he's true to his word, Sakura will bring them in. If anything goes south, however. . ." her eyes narrowed as she turned to took and the team. "If it goes bad, Team Seven will run out of there like rabbits with their tails on fire, got it?! If I hear any mention that they even thought to be heroes instead of getting a boat and coming straight back to Konoha, I'll strip them of their hitai-ates and make sure they're never ninja again! Am I clear?!"

"Crystal Hokage-sama!" Team Seven replied, saluting, eyes wide. Naruto silently nodded his thanks to Tsunade. While his team was generally pretty good with following orders, he knew that this had the potential to go _real_ bad, and he knew they'd give a direct order from the Hokage had more weight than nearly anything else.

She nodded, shoulders slumping. "Officially, this is a B Rank mission. You all leave at first light tomorrow morning. You are dismissed. You too, Uchiha."

Silently, they bowed their way out. "Oh, and Iruka?"

"Hokage-sama?"

She sighed, picking up a small pitcher of sake. "I really, really, _really_ hope we're all wrong about this. Replacing you at the Academy would be troublesome."

Iruka smiled. "We all do what we must." He said. "One way or another, I will return."

With this he left, leaving Tsunade and the ambassador to ponder their reflections in the sake.

"For what it's worth," Mamoru said softly. "I agree. We're still recovering from the events of two winters ago, but if Konoha goes to war, you will have whatever support we can give. And though I would not put words in my colleague's mouth, I am certain that Suna will do the same."

Tsunade nodded, hating her position. "If we go to war, we'll being giving him exactly what he wants."

Mamoru nodded. "But doing anything less would be to show weakness and hesitation. You have the support of the Tsuchikage, the Kazekage, Gaara and myself, but in all three of our villages, there are plenty of people who feel threatened by this new way of doing things, and would love nothing more than to see our alliance fall to pieces. Any hesitation would give them exactly the excuse they need to unseat you, my kage and the Kazekage."

"I know." She whispered. "I just--" she cut herself off. Mamoru may be becoming a friend, but she would not show such weakness as tears before him.

He nodded in understanding and stood to leave, knowing she needed time to settle her emotions. "I do not envy you your position, Tsunade-sama. The decisions a Kage must make are never easy, and rarely pleasant. But as that teacher said, 'We all do what we must.' If you need me, I will come."

With that, he left. The door had barely closed before she buried her head in her arms with a weary sigh, for once ignoring the sake at her elbow. It wouldn't help, anyway.


	3. Unease

Sorry for the delay, the next chapter was troublesome to write, and I needed to finish it before I released this one. I think I've caught most of the mistakes from late-night typing, but if you find more, let me know. Thanks!

Anyway, here's** Chapter 3: Unease**

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They had stopped for lunch in a small crossroads town halfway to Wave Country. Naruto's vote of "Ramen!" had only been supported –though quite vociferously—by Yamamaru. Everyone else had voted on tempura, so now the group was gathered around several tables inside the restaurant. Sakura had deliberately sat herself at a small two-seater Naruto.

She spoke softly as they awaited their order, content to let Yamamaru yammer on over their voices.

"I've noticed Umeko shies away from personal contact," she said. "I saw nothing in her file to warrant such behavior, and if I need to treat her for something . . ."

Naruto nodded. "Did you see the notation about her kekkei genkai?"

Sakura gave a slight frown. "Yes . . ."

Naruto sighed. "It's not, really. She's the first person in her family to go to the Academy. They've been civilians as far back as any records go. But she was born with the ability to, um . . ." he searched for the right word, ". . . drain chakra from others, and with that associated memories and emotions. For a long time, no one knew why her family members kept getting sick when she was stressed, until one day when she was five she got lost in the market and Izumo found her. As soon as he took her hand to help find her mom, his chakra drained right out of him, as though someone had pulled a plug at the bottom of his reserves. Well, that explained why people would get sick, but her family didn't respond too well—from that point on, no one in her family would touch her, even if she wasn't stressed. She naturally blamed herself, and got into the habit of never allowing physical contact with anyone."

Sakura cringed, thanking the waitress that set their lunch in front of them. "Has she learned any control?"

Naruto nodded. "Oh, yeah, lots! Iruka-sensei helped her a lot when she was in academy, and Obaa-chan assigned me to their team because she thought I'd understand what it was like to grow up with no affection" Sakura cringed again, this time in self-recrimination. "Oh, come on, Sakura-chan!" he laughed softly. "You weren't that bad—you touched me plenty of times, generally in the coarse of punching my head!" Her cringe turned into a full-blown grimace, even though she knew Naruto had forgiven her earlier immaturity long before.

"So, your job was to bring her out of her shell?" she asked, busying her hands with fried shrimp and teriyaki sauce.

"Well, me an' Yamamaru. . ." he mumbled around a mouthful of rice. Swallowing, he continued. "I mean, he talks enough for all three of them, granted, but he's also very curious and kind. Ringo is quieter, and helps buffer her from him when he gets to. . . overbearing. But for a while she was still scared of accidentally hurting them, but I got that fixed easy enough."

Sakura glanced over in curiosity. "How?"

"Well, she was afraid they wouldn't be nice to her anymore if she ever lost control and used her abilities on them. They didn't understand why she was always so hesitant." Naruto slurped some tea. "So, I had her deliberately use her abilities on them, so that they'd know what she could do."

Sakura stared. "You had her deliberately drain their chakra?"

"And with it, some memories and emotions. But, only a little. After all, they still needed to train. But, once she demonstrated the skills she'd stolen from them, well . . ." he grinned. "They thought it was the coolest thing ever. Once they'd all got used to the idea, I had her start using her ability in small, very controlled amounts during taijutsu practice. We quickly found that, if she was precise, she could actually use all the energy her opponent expended for herself. Once her speed is better, I'll ask Fuzzy-brows to train her some . . . it might give you a few quiet nights around the house. . ."

She chuckled. "Thanks for the consideration. They sound like quite a team."

Naruto's smile was a mix of pride and affection. "They're friggin' awesome, Sakura. Sometimes when they argue, they remind me of our team. Only, none of them houses a demon or is hell bent on revenge. Instead, I've got one who's a chakra vampire, one who can't shut up, and the third whose curiosity is as boundless as the other's mouth."

Sakura giggled. "Like that time when we were all over at your place, and he noted that Sasuke never went on missions, and then asked if that meant he was the 'wife' in the relationship?"

Naruto snickered. "Yeah, Gaara and I tease him about that sometimes. The thing is, while Yama-kun might ask such a thing out of being a smart-ass, Ringo is always so very serious with his questions, because he really wants to know. Poor Sasuke didn't know what to say."

"Especially since he'd favored Ringo up until that point, as I recall." Sakura grinned, remembering Sasuke's flabbergasted face. She missed Sasuke's smart-ass comments on missions, but she was glad he'd returned home. Now, on a mission with Kakashi-sensei and Naruto again, it was _almost_ like old times.

"Thank you for telling me, Naruto. I'll let her know she doesn't need to be afraid of hurting me. May I tell Hinata? Between the two of us, we might be able to help her with her shell a bit."

Naruto nodded. "Of course. I think getting to know some older kunoichi would be a big help for her. Thanks!"

* * *

"It's true then," Ringo murmured, while Umeko stood silently amazed at his side.

"That's so awesome!" Yamamaru, as usual, had no problem expressing himself. "Naruto-sensei really does have a bridge named after him. That's so cool, I bet—"

Naruto tuned his student out, glancing over at Sakura and seeing that she too was feeling the somewhat bittersweet memories of when they first started to understand what being shinobi _really_ meant. Kakashi, too, had put his book away as he looked north into the forest where, somewhere in the hills and trees, Zabuza and Haku's graves would be. The silver haired man cleared his throat as he pulled his eyes back to the rest of the group.

"Inari will have a boat waiting, let's not delay him."

* * *

Kyuubi watched through Naruto's eyes, uneasy as the humans about the current mission, but for his own reasons. Being a demon, he was aware of things moving and shifting on entirely different planes, and he wasn't sure what the hell had been going on lately, but that it seemed something big was coming and, predictably, his host seemed to be right in the thick of it.

Actually, the more he thought about it, the more he realized that things had been winding up for a while, but he hadn't noticed until this mission. But why else would long forgotten nukes be suddenly remembered a few years ago? And not to mention the fact that the people in the City of the Dead should not have been so physical. Father O'Reilley should not have been able to take physical form, much less recruit an entire city's worth of ghosts to go repairing villages in Iwa.

He growled to himself. He had no idea what was going on, and that bugged the hell out of him. He was Great Lord Kyuubi, for Lucifer's sake! Not knowing what was going on was simply not acceptable for one such as he! And yet there here he was, Great Lord Kyuubi, stuck in his host, more confused than he'd been in centuries.

This could not be good.

* * *

Shikamaru sighed, debating with himself on whether her really wanted a cigarette or not. The nicotine was nice, but the last thing he needed was more heat. No matter how used to the desert he became, it still felt like someone decided to build a village in an oven.

He was sitting in the shaded portico on the roof of the Kazekage's mansion, trying to find a cloud in the sky. But the desert was all about starkness and denial, and not a single, fluffly cumulus could be found.

Gaara had returned the previous day for his semi-annual visit home, thus the reason he was outside instead of lunching with Temari. He thought the two would like some time with each other.

Although his search for a cloud was fruitless, his eyes soon spied another curiosity in the sky-- a hawk, flying straight in his direction from the east. His head tilted as the shape became even clearer.

_Red Tailed? But that's a Konoha bird. . . and flying fast. Why would they send a message like that and not simply have had Gaara bring it?_

Before he could ponder more, the hawk landed, great talons digging into the low plaster wall. Shikamaru quickly relieved it of it's burden, pulling the coded message out into the sunlight.

. . .

_Dammit!_

He sprinted toward the stairs, nearly falling in his haste as he made his way to where the two of the sand sibs were dining. He barely managed to slow himself before he reached the door, a more intelligent part of his brain reminding him that bursting in on Gaara unexpectedly was a Bad Idea.

Hurriedly, he knocked on the door, identifying himself. The guards would have let him in, still. . . although Gaara wasn't the same sort of psycho he had been, it turned out there were _types_ of psycho, some of which Gaara still could lay claim to. Shikamaru was too smart to mess around with that.

The door cracked, Temari looking out with concern. "Not that this is unwelcome, but I thought you were working on your tan."

He held the scroll out. "Urgent message from Konoha."

She let the door fall open as she took the scroll and waved him in. Gaara was sitting at the table, helping himself to prickly pear slices.

"This is in code, Shika. Mind sharing with the rest of the class?" Temari tossed the scroll back as Shikamaru sat down in a free chair.

"Tsunade-sama wishes to inform you and the Tsuchikage that the Mizukage has, after lo these many years, decided to accept the offer of a treaty. He has therefore requested an envoy visit Kirigakure to lay the groundwork for negotiations. He specifically requested that the envoy be Chunnin sensei, Umino Iruka."

Gaara sat up straighter at that. "Why Iruka-sensei? Although I have the greatest respect for him. . . he's a school teacher."

"You know him?" Temari asked her brother.

Gaara nodded, slowly chewing on a fig. "Yes. He was Naruto-kun's sensei in Academy. He is also the husband of Hatake Kakashi. He's kind, gentle, but very firm with his students. While I believe he would be a skilled diplomat, I do not know why the Mizukage would even know his name, much less ask specifically for him."

"If I may, the Hokage did have some thoughts on that as well. . ." Shikamaru interrupted. Temari nodded for him to continue.

"Although she admits she has nothing more than a bad feeling, she suspects that this is a move to provoke war. If she does not do as he so reasonably requests, people can easily claim that her—and for that matter your-- desires for peace are a fiction, thus undermining the entire alliance. If she does as he asks, all he has to do is kill a chunnin who walks into his lair. This would necessarily be taken as an act of war. We think that in choosing Iruka, he hopes to demoralize the younger nin, all of whom-- and I include myself in this-- have never hidden our respect or affection for the man."

Temari sat back as she digested this."Would his death really effect you all that greatly? Ninja die all the time. . ."

Shikamaru shrugged. "I don't think so. We've lost great and loved shinobi before, but it generally doesn't beat us."

Gaara mused. "From what I've seen, I think it would be more likely that the Konoha shinobi would go mad, loose all their famous restraint, and would destroy Kirigakure utterly. What puzzles me is that anyone who knew enough about Konoha to ask for Iruka-sensei would also know that the reaction is more likely to be rage than despondency. Why would he risk such a thing?"

"Perhaps we're all missing something. Either way, Gaara, sounds like you like the guy." Termari quirked a small smile, appreciating how strange it used to seem. She turned to her lover. "I assume the same message was sent to Inuzuka-san up in Iwa?"

He nodded, watching as the wheels turned in her head. "Then I'll send a message to the Hokage directly, and to the Tzuchikage through Kankuro. However this falls, Suna will stand with Konoha. Baki will take the fleet from the southern ports and go out around the Flori Peninsula to meet up with the Konohan Armada. Gaara, I want you on the flagship to be the official liason . . ."

* * *

Hideaki sighed gustily as he plopped down on the outer edge of the cage, leaning against the bars as he looked out over Kirigakure Bay.

"Well," he said. "If he wants to see ruin, he's certainly gonna get it."

"Niichan, what happened?" The voice behind him was soft, a hand reaching through chakra-inhibiting bars to touch his shoulder.

He groaned, dropping his head into his hands."Kameko-chan, I told our illustrious Kage what I think of his plan. I thought I should at least be on the record. Turns out he's completely insane."

"That's not good. . . " The voice doubled, another hand reaching out to his other shoulder. "You told him about Kyuubi, and how I cannot fight him?"

"Hai, Sanbi-san. He doesn't care. He expects you to protect him if need be. He doesn't care about anything else other than revenge."

"Revenge?" They asked. "For what?"

He stood and turned around, facing two nearly identical young women. One, his sister, the other nearly a twin, save for the slightly mottled skin and silver-blue eyes.

"Once upon a time," he began, "A family washed up on the eastern shore after a storm. For this reason they were called by the people the Umino, and they were a kind and gentle people . . ."

* * *


	4. Godspeed

Um. . . just, don't be mean when this is over, okay? I know I'm evil using such a cliffie, but. . . the damn chapter was already 10 pages long . . . just. . .keep in my my leanings and proclivities, and some things found in canon, alright?

So, here's chapter 4. Enjoy. . .

Oh, and I keep forgetting: Look, I don't own Naruto. I wish to heck I did, because I'd be freaking rich and wouldn't have to go to work in the morning. So, that's taken care of, in case there was any confusion. . .

* * *

**Chapter 4: Godspeed**

Kankuro sat beside Kiba in the Tsuchikage's office, watching as the other ambassador's fingers absently stroked through Akamaru's fur. The kage himself had just finished reading the missives from Konoha and Suna.

"A chunnin," the latter mused. "I can see why the suspicion. Is he important?"

Kankuro barely smothered a snort as he let his counterpart answer.

"He is the husband to Hatake Kakashi and the reason Uzumaki Naruto was never as violent or aggressive as Gaara once was." Kiba stated plainly. "In _political_ terms, I know of him having no importance, but in _social_ terms. . . Iruka might very well be the key to the change Konoha has undergone in the past generation."

"Hn," The Tsuchikage considered this. "And thus the change in Suna and here as well. . . you think the Mizukage seeks to demoralize Konoha?"

Kiba shrugged. "Maybe. If so, he's got another thing comin' . . . Iruka isn't the key to Konoha's strength, so much as . . . the keystone to its restraint."

"Ahhh . . ." The kage nodded in understanding.

Kankuro leaned forward. "I would add that my brother as well is fond of the man personally. If he were harmed, Gaara would certainly be tempted to revert, if only for a short time."

"I thought the demon was removed from him?"

Kankuro made a see-saw motion with his hands. "Mostly. But since demons are sealed in babies, their personality grows up with the demon there, accustomed to it. . . sort of molded around it. Even with the demon gone, there is, I guess you could call it, _residue_. Shukaku may no longer inhabit my brother, but Gaara can still manifest certain traits, should he wish to."

"And harm to this Iruka could provoke that?"

Kankuro finally let loose the snort he'd held back earlier. "Not so much _could_, as most definitely _would_. Gaara considers him family, like a . . . father-in-law, I guess."

The Tsuchikage frowned. "We're all missing something, then. . . "

"You're assuming he's somewhat sane," Kiba interjected. "From what I heard of the Mist Genin exams, you've pretty much gotta be a nutcase just to make Genin, let alone advance any farther. What makes you assume he's rational?"

"Hn. Good point." Kankuro agreed, even as the Tsuchikage nodded his own agreement.

"No matter, though, whatever his motive. Unfortunately, we are not in a position to offer immediate military assistance to Konoha. We're still rebuilding from a few years ago, and can't stretch ourselves too far. What we can offer is this. . ."

The Tsuchikage brought out two fresh scrolls and spoke aloud as he wrote. "I'll order the shipyards to step up production to bring our fleet back up faster. In the meantime, I'll send what we have in the North Sea east, to monitor the doings of Cloud. We'll not enter Fire waters unless invited, but we will stand by to offer aide if needed. Likewise, we'll send ships down to help reinforce the Western Coast of Air. This should allow both your villages to free up some more people for fighting in the east.

"If the fighting goes on long enough, we have ice breakers that can maneuver ships around in the arctic waters north of Cloud. By that time we should have enough ships ready that we could send a few to join in any naval fighting in the Eastern Ocean. Of course, depending on what, if anything, Cloud does, that plan may change.

"Other than that, our smithies and mines are back up at capacity, so we can supplement the supply or arms and munitions.

"Finally, we will offer sanctuary to any refugees, should it come to that. I'm afraid that's all we can offer at this time."

Kiba and Kanuro both nodded. Although Iwa had made great strides toward recovery from the attacks a few years previous, the fact remained that the land was covered in ice a good half of the year, making trade and the larger progress difficult. Getting the mines open again had been a huge step, but no number of Christmas Miracles could replace the people who had been initially lost—a full seventy percent of the military forces. Only time and, as the ambassadors sometimes teased the Tsuckikage, "lots of ninja-baby-makin'" could fix that.

"Understood," Kiba nodded. "I am sure both our Kages will appreciate that you are doing what you can."

"If the two of you wish to return to your homes to help in the fighting, I would not take it amiss. . ."

Kankuro shook his head with a sigh. "Thanks for the offer, but until Temari orders me home, I'm staying here. As much as I'd like to fight, I do recognize the need for diplomatic efforts and, should your offer of sanctuary be needed, the refugees will need someone here in place."

"Same here," Kiba nodded. "I'd like nothing more than to rejoin my clan for some ass-kicking, but you need us here, and so do our villages, for the reasons Kankuro said. And, if we go home, it means we leave each other, and that would effect our focus. Probably not the best state to fight a war in, ne?"

"Hn." The Tsuchikage allowed his lips to lift in slight amusement. "If the way you two bitch and moan whenever one is off in the field without the other, I can image the plight of your potential comrades."

"Oi!,' Kiba yelled, "I do not bitch!"

"And I don't moan!" Kankuro agreed.

"Indeed," the Tsuchikage nodded. He pointed at Kiba "You moan like a dying man and you—" he pointed at Kankuro "bitch like a horny fishwife."

* * *

The wind swept down the beach, into the port where Suna's fleet was stationed. A bird had come the night before, and all the ships were now loaded with fresh provisions and fuel, ready to go, though no one knew where or why.

Admiral Azuri had a split second to realize that the wind had skipped from the shore across the water before a small sandstorm landed on deck, revealing the glowering face of his former Kazekage.

"Admiral, the fleet leaves at the turn of the tide. I will show you our route now as your men prepare. Are the guns ready?"

The Admiral nodded as he followed Gaara into the aft chambers where navigation was located. "Aye, sir. We're ready to go. What's getting bombarded?"

Garra pointed to the large island in the middle of the Eastern Ocean. "The Kazekage and I believe that Kiri intends to provoke a war with Konoha. We are to bring the fleet around the Flori Peninsula and meet up with the Leaf fleets. If our suspicions are correct, we will join in bombarding the entire island. Kiri will _not_ be allowed to survive its foolishness, and the rest of the world will see the strength of this alliance. Our job is to help grind them into the dust. Is that clear?"

"Oh, aye, sir. It's been a while since our guns were needed, but I think you'll find them up to the task." Azuri grined as he pulled out his pipe. "I just go tell to lads to get everything goin'. Don't wanna be late for a good fight. . ."

Gaara's smile was chilly. "Good, Admiral. I will stay about, and function as liaison between forces once we reach the east."

* * *

The motion of the ship changed, alerting Iruka and Kakashi that the ship had entered Halfmoon bay. Sometime earlier, Naruto had chased everyone else out, knowing that the two would want some time alone before the mission officially began. They were currently curled around each other in their bunk, their heart-rates slowing back to normal as they caught their breath.

"Kakashi," Iruka whispered, tracing his jaw. "I want you to promise me that if—"

"No." Kakashi interrupted. "Not a chance."

"You didn't even hear what I had to say!" Iruka scowled.

Kakashi traced the wrinkle between Iruka's eyebrows. "You were going to ask me to promise you that if something happened to you, that I would someday find someone else and be happy with them, weren't you?"

"Well, yes, Kashi, I—"

"Ruka, listen to me." Both eyes stared into Iruka's. "If something happens to you, it will be because I am already dead, or one step behind you. Nothing you, I, or anyone else can do about it. If your heart stops, so too will mine. Simple as that."

They spoke quietly for a few minutes before a reluctant knock sounded on the door. "Ano, we're here . . ." Naruto's voice was subdued even through the door. He was disliking this mission just as much as Kakashi.

Half an hour later, the entire party had landed on the small island—more a glorified sandbar with some trees-- Naruto and Kakashi already masked, the sun rising in the sky behind the towering peak of Kirigakure, the ever awake volcano releasing steady puffs of steam from its great hight. Team Seven immediately set to work on putting together a base camp as Hinata watched a small boat cross over the channel. The plan was for the meeting to happen at noon, but the first encounter with mist nins would be in a moment.

Naruto turned from directing his team. "Hey, Hinata, Shino . . . do either of you sense anything strange from that boat?"

"Now that you mention it. . ." Hinata squinted as the boat approached. "It's subtle but, yeah. . . something similar to you."

Shino grunted. "As soon as they are close enough, I'll have my bugs investigate. Except for the trackers on the landing party, I want to conserve them as much as possible."

Kakashi approached as Naruto nodded in understanding. "Bad?" he asked.

Naruto's eyes blushed lilac as Kyuubi came forward. "I don't think it to be so, no. If what I sense is who I think it is, she will not harm us."

Kakashi's visible eye squinted toward the water. "We were not aware they had a bijou. . ."

Kyuubi shrugged Naruto's shoulders. "Since the fall of Akatsuki, who can say where all my kin are? Still, if this is who I believe it to be, she will not cause trouble."

They watched as the boat steadily approached. They barely noticed the departure of a few small kikai. Shino soon nodded. "My bugs agree, the chakra is strange, but different from Kyuubi's. Not as aggressive."

"Sanbi for sure, then." Kyuubi nodded. "I don't know if Kiri knows this, but she's mostly defensive. Very good at protecting what she wants. She can fight, but she's never relished it like the rest of us."

As the demon spoke, they began to discern three figures, one male and two female. "Those two girls—one is the demon, the other her host. Sanbi figured out very early how to place most of her consciousness in a clone, allowing her to interact directly with the outside world, even when caged."

"Why would they send a Jinchuriiki as an escort?" Iruka mused.

They could now see the three in the boat clearly, the almost twin girls scowling at the man. One girl turned and looked at the beach, the other snapping to look over almost immediately. They were silent as the boat finished it's approach, the two girls staring at Naruto's masked face without blinking.

The man on the boat jumped out and walked up the sand. "Shinobi of Konoha, I am Jin, come to escort you to the Mizukage, who eagerly awaits this meeting."

"Jin, I am Iruka. Only my two escorts here will be joining us today." Iruka motioned to Kakashi and Naruto with his hands. "May I ask who your other companions are?"

The man's face twisted, almost prompting a growl out of Naruto. "They are insurance," Jin replied. "The Mizukage believed that Konoha might sent their Jinchuriiki as an escort. She is ours."

"That makes sense, I suppose" Iruka's smile was gentle. "Well, let's go then, we wouldn't want to kept the Mizukage waiting."

Iruka knew he should be more afraid, more reluctant to go to this meeting but, now that the day had come, he found he simply wanted to get it over with, whatever _it_ came to be. The ride back over the waves to the mainland was quicker than he expected, the almost-twins watching him and Naruto the entire way.

The island of Water Country was really just the upper slopes of a very large volcano that had been steadily erupting for as long as anyone could remember. Lava flows ran down the southern slopes to be cooled by the sea, the resulting fog blown inland by the prevailing winds, keeping the entire island shrouded in a mist of varying intensity. Kirigakure was built on-- and even carved into-- the western slopes of the volcano, the entire village made of basalt and black volcanic glass.

The boat docked in the inner most harbor, the obsidian gates of the village only a small walk away. It was an imposing sight, cold and unwelcoming. But they passed through with little trouble the mist swallowing sound and thought and they made their way through empty seeming neighborhoods.

Then they passed through a large square, with a large, empty cage in the middle.

"What is the cage for?" Iruka would not let nerves allay his curiosity, and any additional information would be useful. And really, to _not_ comment on such an oddity would be suspicious.

"It's where we live," The girls spoke for the first time, their dual voices different enough to produce a sound similar to when Kyuubi would speak through Naruto.

Jin turned add "The bars suppress chakra, to ensure that the demon does not cause trouble while Kameko sleeps."

Iruka blinked as they walked past. "You. . . cage her?"

Jin shrugged coldly. "How else does one deal with their kind? I remember the horror stories that came out of Suna with their little monster. How does Konoha contain _their_ beast?"

Iruka chuckled. "Contain? We don't. He's far too headstrong for us to try such a thing."

The girls grinned. "That sounds like Lord Kyuubi," The mottled one remarked.

Jin stopped in the street. "So, you just let him go around loose, as he pleases?!"

"Pretty much." Iruka smiled, then pointed to a tall building carved out the the slopes before them. "Is that where we're meeting the Mizukage?"

Jin nodded. "Come on," he said. "I do not see how a village could survive with a demon on the loose."

He looked like he was about to say something more, but at that moment they reached the doors to the large building. The guards stepped aside as he announced them, and they were quickly lead up several flights of stairs.

There was a small hall, and one set of double doors, opening into a room with a panoramic view of the village. There was a small table with steaming tea, and behind it, the thin figure of the Mizukage, long beard and robes fluttering the breeze from the window.

"Ah, you must be the emissary I requested, Umino Iruka! So very good to meet you!"

Iruka stepped forward, his bow perfectly correct. "Mizukage-sama, I bring greetings from Tsunade-hime, Hogake of Konohagakure, and her desires for a mutually beneficial accord between our two peoples."

The older man smiled, eyes twinkling as he bowed in return. "Indeed, dear boy. As you may have guessed, I am Dumeburu, Mizukage of Kirigakure. The young man here--" he gestured to a younger man in a jonin uniform "-- is Hideaki, brother to our Kameko-chan, whom you have already met."

Iruka nodded politely to the young man in greeting, immediately figuring that each sibling was used by the village to blackmail the other into good behavior.

"As you can see," the Mizukage continued. "I have prepared our welcoming tea, which Hideaki-kun will serve to us as we go over the preliminaries. However, since this is a meeting of diplomacy, I must insist that your guards wait outside, with mine."

Naruto and Kakashi both stiffened with alarm. "I must object, Mizukage-sama." Kakashi growled. "Hokage-sama ordered us to be at his side at all times. We cannot leave him."

The old man drew himself up, the twinkling of his eyes dimming. "Do you question the honor of Kirigakure?" he demanded.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed behind his mask. "Honor has nothing to do with it, we must obey our orders!"

Iruka's jaw clenched as the tension mounted. No treaty would come if the Mizukage and Kakashi came to blows. With a sudden calm, he held up his hand before his masked husband.

"It's okay, Wolf-san." he said. "The mission is the attain this peace-- that trumps all other orders. Please do as Mizukage-sama asks."

Hideaki watched as the stances of the two ANBU were visibly uncertain. "Iruka-sensei," the one in the fox mask sounded almost plaintive.

The chunnin smiled gently. "Fox-san, all will be well." He turned back to the Wolf, hand coming up to the others chest. "All will be well," he repeated. "and all manner of things shall be well."

Sanbi let out a small gasp at the same moment that the Fox ANBU stiffened. "Sempai," the latter muttered. The Wolf's hands clenched at his sides, head bowed.

"Iruka. . ." the three syllables were whispered, but Hideaki trembled with the meaning they radiated. The wolf sighed, and then the two ANBU were reluctantly walking out the door. Just before the two passed through, the fox turned back to were he and his sister and her companion knelt, and he suppressed a shudder as two red eyes burned into him.

This was very, very bad.

* * *

Shino held up a hand. "Hold on a minute," he told the genin before they could unpack any more gear. "The kikai are agitated."

Hinata stood from her perch on a boulder and peered at the island, straining her eyes but unable to tell anything from the distance.

Everything was silent for a moment, so everyone caught the sudden pulse of chakra the kikai released.

"Oh, shit." Shino muttered. "That's not good."

Sakura collapsed the tent and the genin started packing everything back up.

* * *

No sooner had the doors closed than the fight had begun, scores of Kiri ANBU seemingly crawling our of the stone walls to attack. Naruto's bunshins had quickly filled the space, but it seemed the entire village was lined up to fight the two of them. In any other situation, they might have felt honored, but now they could only think of getting those blasted doors open to get back to Iruka. However, turning their back on the enemy was severely hampering that goal.

So Kakashi and Naruto fought, kunai and jutsus flying as they held off the swarms attacking them.

* * *

Teaching pre-genin academy brats meant that Iruka had a very solid understanding of toxicology, which is how he recognized as soon as he swallowed that the expected attack was in the tea. Late night conversations with a less-than-sober Anko was how he knew exactly which poison it was –spinefish--and therefore, how much time a man of his weight had. He strained to keep from showing reaction as the Mizukage's face seemed to twist before his own.

"You know," the old man sneered. "We once had a family of Umino's on this island, but they were always causing trouble for my family. Always keeping us from our rightful power. We tried to get rid of them, but a few managed to escape. But you're the last of them, so I guess I get the last laugh."

Iruka could no longer suppress his cough, his hand staining red with the bloody fluid that was quickly filling his lungs, drowning him from the inside. Somehow, he wasn't afraid. Not anymore, at least. Now, all he could think about was one thing.

"Please," he moaned, not having to try very hard to make it sound like a plea.

The Mizukage leaned forward over the small table, gloating with delight as the last of the Uminos died from his treachery. "Are you going to beg? How amusing!" His eyes twikled with sadistic glee as Iruka coughed up more blood.

"Please," Iruka's voice was softer as he conserved what little energy he had. As hoped for, the Mizigake leaned even closer to hear what Iruka would say. The teacher couldn't help but smile as he recalled conversations with Gaara and Tsunade about the annoying Kage robes, and how difficult it was to hide weapons in them, the only place where one could secret a kunai being . . .

Unnoticed by the Mizukage as he leaned over Iruka's nearly supine form, the chunin had unerringly reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out the one kunai to be found. Again, he coughed, blood splattering on the Mizukage's face as Iruka grinned.

"Please," he said politely as he shifted his arm, a wicked gleam entering his eyes. "_Rot in hell, bitch!_" With the last of his strength, Iruka pulled his arm across as his hand lashed out, neatly cutting the Mizukage's throat. The old man stumbled back, eyes wide with surprise as he gazed at the demon that had failed to protect him.

Iruka slumped to the floor, watching through dimming eyes as the Mizukage fell beside him, blood pooling in the floor between them. At least, he thought dimly, this would make it easier for Konoha to win the war.

He would have chuckled at the thought, but he could only smile softly knowing that at least he had died well, taking out a kage as he went. As he drew a shuddering breath, he smiled, thoughts turning from duty to silver hair. As darkness closed in, he was pleased to find that really, he had no regrets. He had loved well and openly, and protected his precious people. He was ready.

* * *

"RASENGAN!"

They had managed to clear out the waiting room and had blocked the hallway with an army of clones. Now they were trying to get through the doors to the Mizukage's office, but the doors were very, very strong. Naruto's attack did a lot of damage, but they still hadn't gotten all the way through.

Kakashi was next as the screaming of a thousand birds filled the air. Forward he sped, grunting with satisfaction as this attack finally broke through, the doors shattering off their hinges.

His sharingan flicked back and forth through the settling dust, taking in the form of the two almost-twins huddled over the young man in the corner, the Mizukage on the floor, his throat obviously slit. And Iruka on the floor, unmoving.

"Iruka?" He choked out, dimly aware of the pounding on the outer doors.

He stumbled forward, kicking the Mizukage's body away as he did, unaware of Naruto at his side as they looked down, their noses catching the scent of spinefish venom. "Noooooooo-"

He collapsed in the puddle of blood, pulling Iruka's body into his lap, barely heeding the splintering of the doors to the hallway. A pressure was building inside him as he tried to process what his senses were telling him. All sound suddenly disappeared as his ears popped.

Someone screamed. A flash of burning heat. Masks shattered. Bodies shattered. The mountain shattered.

He broke, and pulled the sky down as he went.

* * *

"Um, fuck." The word was unusual from Shino, but appropriate. "Team Seven, bug out!" he ordered just as the wall of demonic chakra washed over the island, lighting arching down from the sky as the ground buckled and twisted.

* * *

Kikai swarmed as messages transferred between hives at the speed of thought.

In Konoha, Sasuke watched in horror as they spelled out a single message, the one they hoped they wouldn't see.

South of the Flori peninsula, Gaara growled as the Kikai relayed the same message.

Sakura didn't need kikai to know what was happening. She'd felt the rage of Kyuubi before, though this was so much worse. The wild lightning that tore down from heaven, and the flames that reached up to dance with it all told her what had happened, and her lips peeled back in anger as her fists clenched.

There was only one thing this horror could mean, and Kirigakure would pay for it with their existence.

Iruka-sensei was dead, and with him any hope for peace.

* * *

Please don't kill the author. Yelling won't help either. Polite reviews are nice, though. Chapter five in a few days, I swear. It's already done.


	5. Cosmic Origami

For the perfectionists: There is a section in here that was incredibly difficult to write, due to the nature of our (as in, contemporary humanity's) current level of concious awareness. I sorta combined some metaphysics and quantum physics and some other things to imagine an approximation or higher dimensional stuff, but it's hard to write of things outside of time, since reading is, by it's nature, sequential, and even reading these words is an experience carried through time. So, yes, I realize I'm using sequence where it has no meaning. Deal with the metaphor.

Some language warnings, some new threads introduced into the plot. No doubt more questions than answers. Oh well.

Oh, and, feel free to follow Scyther Devlin's example and drop me a line. I love corresponding with readers. . .even those few of you I have ^_^.

* * *

**Chapter 5: Cosmic Origami**

"Ho-oly Shiiit. . . watch niner oh five, you getting' this?"_Click_.

_Chick-click_. "Roger that, ghostie. Recording as well. Sigma waves off the charts down below. . ."

A new, tinny voice. "Ghost five zero, this is Artemis. Are you all getting this?"_Click._

"Sure thing, boss-man, Watch niner oh five is recording. Too bad we can't find a way to harness those eruptions. Be real handy up here."_pssshhht._

A snort. "Too erratic," Watch replied. "Even if we could. There hasn't been a blast like this for at _least_ twenty-five years. You wanna wait twenty-five more to try?"

"Hn."

There was silence as the burning ring expanded. "Jesus H. Christ, I can see why the ancients called 'em demons."

"Language, Ghost."

"I was prayin', boss-man, no need to get tetchy. . ." _Click._

* * *

_Don't look, Kit!_

Through the torrent of burning rage and sorrow, Naruto had become aware of a change in scenery, something teasing the edges of his mind-sight. Still drowning in grief, his thoughts were scrambled, slipping through his grasp like grains of sand. He tried to pull himself together-- he was a shinobi, and he couldn't let his guard down no matter what happened. His ninja instincts cried out that there was something big behind him, but Kyuubi was insistent.

_Whatever you do, don't look!_

But why not? He had to, he had to be aware of his surroundings.

_It isn't your surroundings, it's mine. It's where I and my kind were born, the great vast Void. The Emptiness that drove Shukaku, the First of us, mad. The source of our rage. If you look, it will drive you mad, and I don't know that I'll be able to hold on to you. You'll be lost in the Emptiness forever. . ._

Resolutely, Naruto focused on his pain, on Iruka, on the betrayal they had predicted but hadn't been able to stop. For a moment, it helped, but the flickers at the edge of his vision reached out again, and before he knew what he was doing, his attention turned.

There was nothing there. No island, no volcano, no fiery chakra, no sea. Nothing. Not even darkness. And it was pulling him in.

* * *

It was Hell, Sakura was sure of it. She shivered from where she waited with Hinata and Shino in the lee of a great boulder, burning, sulfuric winds whipping past them. Impossible lighting bolts fell from the sky, crashing again and again across the island, explosions punctuating their fall. But the worst was the sound just beneath the wind. She wasn't sure she was even hearing it with her ears, but it was there.

She turned back to her companions, Shino with his arms cradling each other, sheltering his kikai, Hinata with her hands over her ears, rocking back and forth with her eyes closed. Sakura knelt next to her, pulling her into a hug as she tried to block out the sound of a millions of people moaning and screaming in absolute terror and anguish. And beneath that, the sound of thousands of machines, _marching, marching_ . . .

Shino joined them, his strong arms sheltering them as he yelled in their ears. "Don't listen!" he cried. "It's not a real sound! My kikai aren't hearing it!"

But Hinata already knew that. She could see what the not-sounds were coming from as she lifted her eyes and looked out toward the water. There, in the lashing waves, her eyes-- the sharpest even among the Hyuuga-- saw the water twist, watched as the air itself was rent and torn, watched as impossible flames came from somewhere . . .

In her heart, Hinata understood. Kyuubi, greatest of the Nine, had called forth Hell itself in his rage. She only hoped the demon gave a thought to his friends.

* * *

"Ne, ne, do you think Kyuubi-sensei's all right guys?" Yamamaru fretted, watching the roiling clouds as he manned the steering. "He feels awful pissed. I wouldn't want to be the one who's in trouble this time, it was bad enough when I called him a--"

"It's not Kyuubi-sensei I'm worried about," Ringo said, glancing back from where he'd been watching the waves speed past. "There's only a few things I can think of that would make him that angry . . ."

Umeko scowled as she channeled their chakra into the boat's motor jutsu. "Iruka-sensei . . ."

* * *

He awoke, almost but not quite surprised to do so.

He stretched, flexing up and down his entire being. Space-time was so _confining_! It was such a relief to unfold again, and if he were still in the Dream, he would have sighed with deep contentment as his spine cracked.

But he hadn't a spine, anymore, nor lungs, for there was no need of such things when Awake.

He turned his attention to his Companion, thrashing about, still caught in Dreaming. _Although,_ the thought manifested. _Perhaps more of a nightmare at the moment. _Reaching out, he tried to sooth the tempestuous lines of the other, but to his consternation, the thrashing become more violent.

He turned his attention to another, this one spearing right on through the surface of Space-Time, tangled with lines reaching up from the Void Beneath. They too were thrashing, chaotic movements pulling at the warp and weft of the surface.

_They're tearing apart the very fabric of physicality. . ._ the thought was concerned.

Yet another came near. The part of him that had been folded into Time exclaimed _Yondaime!_, but he knew that his other was not simply Namikaze Minato any more than he was simply Umino Iruka.

That other, bright and unshadowed, pulled his attention farther along the Surface, where Was-Iruka could see things fraying, falling apart. Or not, staying together into magnificence. An infinite array of possibilities laid out along two major themes.

_Do you understand?_ Was-Minato asked.

_Yes._ Was-Iruka replied. _Yet here I am, outside the Dream. I have no more part in it._

A smirk, if such could be said of those who no longer needed faces. _You still have free will, and Time is your sea. You rise and dive, dive and rise. Like a Dolphin through the Sea of Time._

Was-Iruka pondered this for a small, short eternity. He nearly turned again, back to the Source, thinking to find the answer there, but Was-Minato moved to stop him.

_If you Look, you will never be able to Dream again, for the very sight will drive all other thoughts from your being and you will instantly Return to the Origin. As long as you keep sight averted, you still may choose._

It was hard, for he ached to turn, too see that sight nearly forgotten, remembered only as shadowed echoes of memory in moments of pure beauty. He wanted to See and yet. . . and yet his Companion cried out in terror, believing himself to be alone. Believing what the dream brought forth, lost in his nightmare. Already, Was-Iruka could see the Void reaching up to devour what it could, sucking up the brightness, scarring what remained.

He did sigh, this time, though no air signified it's passage. _When we return, then we shall all look together._

_Yes._ Was-Minato agreed.

_But if I fall alseep once more to rejoin the dream, it could not be the normal way. How do I--_

A grin, then, bright as a noon-day sun. _Ride the Lightning._

Understanding. _Ahhh, clever. My thanks for your assistance._

_We're always waiting to help. We'll be watching._

Was-Iruka folded himself once more, although not quite as tightly as before. With a deep not-breath, he dove back down into Time, catching a Bolt as he passed through.

* * *

Across the ocean the ring of demonic chakra expanded, heralding the slower moving tsunami behind it.

To the south, the wave washed over a ship moving swiftly to the west, the men and women shocked out of their midday prayers. The youngest, drew a deep breath, looking over the starboard bow. "Monsieur Renard," she breathed. "What can have happened to enrage him so?"

Just to the west of the ship, a great wave washed over the Flori peninsula, clearing out the ancient swamps and exposing an old metal rigging peeking out of the vines.

To the north, the chakra distanced itself from the wave behind it, triggering the deep sea buoys that transmitted the alarm to the isthmus just to the north and west. Civilians and shinobi alike rushed to the shore with the one seal everyone from the youngest child to the oldest civilian granny knew. Tsunami was there to meet the force she was named for, Inari and his wife at her side. Each lined up behind a ninja to allow their chakra to be channeled into the wall. They grimaced as the chakra washed over them, unaware of how it was already starting to dissipate. They watched as a few minutes later, the water pulled back, twice as far as any could remember, exposing the foundations of the Great Naruto Bridge and, just as it started to rush back, the ninjas made the seals, channeling all the chakra of Wave into a vast shield wall.

But even all that chakra wasn't enough to completely hold of the water. Civilian and ninja watched as the wall held, the water rising straight up as it was carried by momentum, slowing near the top, but even so, they all cried out as the water just barely over topped the wall, drenching everyone and soaking the land. But it was enough. The water receded again, and although they made the shield seven more times throughout the day, it was enough to save their little country.

Across the globe the chakra flew, great winds moving in its wake.

In the village of Konoha, Sasuke's eyes widened as he felt the familiar energy. Although the kikai they'd been watching were scrambled, there was no longer any mystery why. He turned wide eyes to Tsunade as her eyes hardened with resolve.

She nodded, correctly understanding what they all felt."That's it," she said, reaching for the brush and ink that were waiting. "In response to their treacherous actions, and betrayal of our earnest attempts at peace, I hereby declare war on the Village Hidden in the Mist. Izumo, the alarm!" She scribbled a command that linked to a kikai swarm on the coast. "Ibiki is now Chief Naval Officer! I just ordered him to move the fleet out. Kotetsu, go make sure everyone understands and has begun their assignments! Ebisu, you and the Konohamaru Corps will be heading north-east the make sure Cloud doesn't get any ideas! Sasuke!" she allowed herself a smirk as she pulled a hitai-ate out of a desk drawer. "You are hereby re-instated as a genin. You are to go with Team Gai and make sure Naruto has control of the Kyuubi. At all times you are to be in the presence of either a Jonin or ANBU of Konoha, and your sole concern is the control of our demon and the health of his host."

Sasuke's eyes masked his shock. He'd not known that he would ever be allowed outside the village again, much less allowed to wear any part of the uniform. He bowed deeply. "I shall bring your successor back in good health." He replied.

"Good," Tsunade said. She turned to where Mamoru stood. "I will have the official notification for your leader in a few moments."

He nodded. He'd never seen the Konohan war machine in person, but his uncle had spoken of it. _Kid_, the memory of his uncle's voice echoed in his mind. _The thing with the Leaf is they're very civilized, until they aren't any more. Like waking a sleeping bear, really. We learned that the hard way._

He watched as the shinobi, many of whom he'd befriended, turned from easy-going smiles to absolute focus. The bear had awoken. He was glad his people were now counted as friends, and dearly hoped it remained that way.

* * *

The passage of the chakra wave over the Suna Fleet was met with stiffening of backs, and looks to the captains. The captains all turned their eyes to the flagship, where the Admiral turned to Gaara. Gaara himself felt his lips peel back in a snarl as the residue of Shukaku rose up in reply to Kyuubi's rage.

"Kyuubi," he growled. "Is very, very angry. How much longer?"

"We'll be rounding the tip of the Flori peninsula within the hour. From there we'll be able to catch the Northeast current." The Admiral squinted in thought. "I'd give it about eighteen to twenty hours to rendezvous, depending on their position."

A growl was his only response, and the Admiral wisely left him to his thoughts, discreetly signaling the captains to put everything into the great engines.

* * *

Farther to the west, the chakra kicked up a massive sandstorm in southern Wind Country, dunes shifting and hollowing out under hurricane force winds. For several hours the storm raged, until several miles of dunes had literally been moved west onto the salt flats, baring an ancient city for the first time in nearly a thousand years. Swathes of large, dark plates were again exposed to the sun, soaking up it's energy, and sending it along millions of wires into the very well preserved city. A day later, lights started to come on again, ancient machines chugged back to life, computers and freezers, televisions and radios.

It was the sound of a stereo, loudly looping a collection of big band hits, that lured scout nins into the area a few weeks after that.

* * *

Naruto was frozen, unable to tear his attention away from the great, desperate nothing he witnessed. Dimly, he could hear Kyuubi yelling at him, could feel the burning chakra clawing at him.

But that burning was nothing to the numbing cold that enveloped him, and the yelling was swallowed by the yawning void. He knew he needed to turn back, to shut his eyes to this . . . place, but no sooner would he think it than the thought itself was sucked away along with his will, disintegrating in the vacuum that even now was trying to dissolve him.

The only thing he could hold on to was how very, very afraid he was, even as he felt himself drowning in waves of despair.

_Come on, Kit! I can't be sane for both of us! Shake it off, come back! Kit! Dammit, NARUTO!!!_

_

* * *

_Sorry about another cliffie. Next chapter will come out once the yet-to-be-scribed chapter 7 is sent to the Beta (the lovely Celloeuse!)


	6. First Blood

Okay, so, um, my spring wasn't the best I've ever had. Not much computer time, means not much reading, writing, or reviewing time. I don't even think I've answered some of my reviews yet, which I swear, I'll get to in a minute if I haven't replied yet!

This is a short chappie, I know. Chapter 7 is with the beta. Chapter 8 is in my brain . . . somewhere . . .

Anyway, I hope this small treat is tasty and delicious for you. Enjoy!

Konoha Advent 2: Shadows in the Stars

Chapter 6: First Blood

Shino tensed even more. The lightening had completely stopped, though the cold howling, bone-shuddering, ear-splitting shrieking continued unabated. His kikai had all fled to his inner torso, fleeing the wild demonic chakra that whipped about them like cyclone winds. The hairs on his neck stood on end as the static charge in the air shifted, and built far beyond normal levels. His nose was flooded with the scent of ozone.

"Dammit!" he flung his hand out to cover Hinata's eyes as he squeezed shut his own, hoping she'd turn off her eyes before she went blind. Down crashed the heavens in a single stroke, the thunder muffling the shrieking, and leaving him deaf for a few moments as he blinked away spots.

* * *

It hadn't hurt, although he'd expected it to do so. He remembered when he was very young, he'd stuck that knife in the socket to see what happened, and there'd been that not-pain like a mule's kick to his chest right before he woke up in bed.

But although the thunder should have ruptured his eardrums, or the light blinded him, let alone the strike itself killed him as it passed through his heart, he hadn't felt a thing. He almost gave it a second's worth of thought, but then the body clutched in his hands moved of its own accord.

A cough. A moan.

"Oooh, ouchies. . . ." hardly the sound expected from the slayer of a kage, but he was also an academy sensei, so perhaps not that unexpected. Kakashi stared, hardly breathing, as he tried to decide if his love truly had been brought back from death by the lightening-- or if he was hallucinating from grief-born madness.

Coughing again, Iruka rolled himself within Kakashi's grasp, spitting out a mouthful of blood. "Life hurts. . .oohh . . . rough landing. . ."

"I . . . I-Iruka?" His voice was small with uncertainty, scared of driving the vision away.

Iruka smiled, his mouth relaxed if a bit unsteady. "Thanks for the lift, dear." He coughed up more blood as his body expelled the poison. "Help me up?"

Numbly, Kakashi lifted Iruka to his feet, then enfolded him in his arms. If this was madness, he'd welcome the padded room. He breathed deep the rapidly warming scent of Iruka, mixed with the metallic tang of mingled blood. "Iruka," he sighed. "I thought. . . You . . . you were dead. . ." he breath hitched tears still threatened.

"Well, yeah." The teacher's voice was stronger. "I was. But, I'm better now."

Kakashi chuckled. "Indeed." His voice was still high in pitch, the edge of hysteria not yet abated. "You killed the Mizukage, oh mighty Iruka."

Iruka pulled back slightly within his arms, allowing his blush to be seen. "Couldn't go down without a fight, could I?" His eyes sparkled, and Kakashi decided that Iruka had never looked better than now, blushing, eyes sparkling, covered in the blood of his enemy.

Iruka shook his head, and looked around, finally taking notice of the carnage around them and the screaming demon a few yards away. "Oh dear," he sighed. "Help me over to Naruto." he requested. "I don't know yet that my legs will work without help."

Together, they moved over to the form huddled on the floor, Kakashi's eyes tracking to where another demon huddled with a young man beneath her. They didn't seem inclined to interfere, so he was content to let them be, for now.

Iruka knelt down, hands reaching through flaming chakra that didn't burn, to stroke his fingers through golden hair.

"Hush now," he said. "Everything's okay, shhhhh. . ." The screaming tapered off, the chakra driven winds calming. Blood red eyes lifted to meet Iruka's soft brown.

"You were dead." Kyuubi stated, deep voice hoarse and unsteady.

"Yes." Iruka nodded.

"You're not anymore."

"Correct."

The demon's eyes slid to his right. "I kinda . . . got upset."

"So I noticed." Iruka's voice was bemused. "Quite a ripple in space-time. . ."

Red eyes glanced back sharply, appraising. "Naruto . . . I told him not to, but Naruto _Looked_, into the Void. I can't reach him anymore. I think he's lost."

Iruka looked troubled. "That _is_ problematic." he agreed. "But. . ." His eyes changed focus. "I can see him. Stay calm, I'll bring him back . . ."

* * *

There was once a voice, a harsh burning, that had called to him, that had warmed this unending Nothing. But barely the memory remained. He vaguely wished he could find it again, so he could latch on, to break this infinite emptiness.

He wanted to cry out, but his voice had been sucked away with sound. He knew he had to get back, but he didn't know why, much less how.

_Naruto . . ._ That had been his name, hadn't it? Yes . . .

Memory pushed forward with the voice. _Naruto-kun, come here. . . _

It was a familiar voice, soft and reassuring, sparking something in his core that broke the emptiness even just a little.

_Naruto!_ Sharper now, the voice seemed to wrap around him as he recalled a very angry adult who yelled at him for painting the Hokage Monument. _Naruto, Come on! Come Back!_

_Iruka-sensei!?_

_Yes, baka, now come on! Kyuubi's worried!_

_Nah, not the Fox! He doesn't worry about anything!_

_Yes, he does._

_**No, I don't.**_

_Liar._

_**Well, I am a demon. . .**_

_Iruka-sensei. . . but, I saw you, you were. . ._

_Dead?_

_Yeah . . ._

_I got better. . ._

_Oh. Like Gaara!_

_In a way, I suppose._

Warmth flooded back as sound re-entered his awareness. He blinked as he felt the demon's awareness recede. "Iruka-sensei!"

Iruka grunted as the violet-eyed ANBU leapt into his arms with faint snuffling sounds. He continued stroking the hair, making vague shushing noises as he looked around at the devastation. He found himself feeling vaguely flattered.

"All this?" He asked as Naruto pulled himself together. "All this destruction on my behalf?" The office no longer existed in any meaningful way. The inner wall had been blasted out all the way through the volcano, as had the ceiling. The floor was now a ledge over looking the village on one side, and a steady flow of lava on the other.

Kakashi shrugged. "We were distraught."

"I can see that."

Iruka asked for a hand up again as Naruto stood, the three of them finally turning their attention to the three forms huddled on the ledge with them.

"Kameko-san? Hideaki-san? Sanbi-san?" Slowly, three heads lifted up. "Why did you not stop the blade?" Kakashi asked, motioning to the Mizukage's corpse.

They had looks of discomfort. Finally, the girls spoke. "Because it was not in our interest to do so." They replied.

Hideaki fidgeted. "I told him the plan was stupid," he added. "But he wouldn't listen, no matter how hard I argued. It was clear he was mad. . .the reaction of your demon made the point moot as it was. . ."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask. "And why did you not try to stop Kyuubi?"

Sanbi's eyes grew wide. "I dare not!" She exclaimed. "He knew full well I would lift no hand against Lord Kyuubi, save to shelter those we held dear. Keeping my host in a cage all this time meant he was not protected. If M'Lord Kyuubi wished him dead, or the village annihilated, then so be it!"

A sound from beneath the ledge alerted them to other survivors. Hideaki stood, holding out his hands. "Please, I mean you no harm. Let me convince my countrymen that his was not your doing. Or rather, that you are not to be held at fault. We may yet salvage this chance for negotiations."

Kakashi and Naruto exchanged a glance, then nodded.

* * *

Everything had been silent for a few moments as Shino, Hinata, and Sakura poked their heads around the –now much smaller-- boulder that had sheltered them.

"Looks clear," Hinata reported as Shino's kikai spread out once more.

"I've got a lock on Kakashi and Naruto's location." The latter said. "Kikai are reporting that Iruka is alive, as well. . ."

"Right," Sakura said. "Let's go find them and see what's up."

* * *

Yamamaru was cussing, using words Umeko had only ever heard ANBU and demons use. Some Mist Jonin had come out of the water and snatched her off the boat, tossing Ringo overboard as he'd done so. It was a bad situation, made worse by the utter lack of back up to be had.

"Let 'er go, bastard!" Yamamaru shouted as he flung another kunai at the tall man standing on the waves. "She didn't do anything to you!"

The man squeezed his arm harder around her throat as she tried in vain to pull it away, her bare fingers sliding over his skin. "Ohhh, poor little Leaf Genin, trying to save his girlfriend. Too bad talking me to death won't hurt. No, I think I'll take her home, have some fun with her . . ."

"Goddammit!" Yamamaru cursed again as he sent a veritable storm of shuriken through the air. Umeko tried to calm herself, slowly stretching her awareness into the large man behind her. _This is what all that training was for_,she told herself. _Now carefully, first the areas of perception. . ._

It wasn't that it took a lot of energy, but the incredible focus she needed, to deceive the brain, to drain the chakra ever so slowly, and to weave small, subtle genjutsu all at once was not exactly easy. The effects of her attack, however, would be comparable to first getting drunk, and then being drugged—and she'd gain his energy out of the deal. Carefully, she first attacked his faculties of perception, slowly draining and dulling them. Like getting drunk, his very ability to notice anything wrong had to be the first thing to go before she moved on to anything else. Next was speed, a slight drain—enough to bring him down to chunin level. Then, with the energy she'd stolen, she wove a slight genjutsu around his legs as she ramped up her chakra draining. Soon enough, she felt them begin to slowly sink, cold water creeping up her legs, but unnoticed by the now fuzzy-brained jonin.

Yamamaru was still cursing, down to a single kunai, and she could feel Ringo approaching from behind. He seemed to waver on the boat, hesitant and frustrated, but Umeko knew better. He had to have noticed them sinking but had managed to cover his surprise with renewed cursing. The Jonin seemed to find great amusement in his antics, and Umeko spared a moment for a spark of disbelief. Surely, a Jonin knew better than to underestimate genin. But then, Konoha had had its share of surprising genin before. And she had attacked perception and judgement first.

She was ready the moment Ringo attacked, feeling second-hand as the knife tore through the Jonin's hamstring, eyes widening as Yamamaru closed his mouth and jumped, his kunai flashing in the bright sun. She felt the jonin's surprise when he couldn't move his body as accustomed, and when the surprise turned to fear as the kunai plunged through the base of his trachea.

The arm around her throat finally released, but Umeko grasped the arm in her hands, eyes narrowing as she deliberately took all restraints from her abilities, the jonin now able to feel his chakra leaving as she drained it. Chakra held them both afloat as she pulled and sucked him dry, even as his breathing slowed and his eyes lost focus.

They were silent a few moments, before Yamamaru filled the silence. "We should get out of the water before the blood draws sharks."

The was no argument as they hauled the corpse into the boat first, Ringo dumping next it all the weapons he'd caught from Yamamaru.

"I thought a Jonin would be better at fighting." Yamamaru finally mused.

The three looked at each other. "I think," Ringo spoke slowly. "We would have been in trouble if he hadn't gone for the 'easy' target he thought Umeko-chan would be."

"Yeah." Yamamaru agreed, looking with concern to where the young kunoichi sat, her arms wrapped around her knees, then glancing at the burnt out motor seal. "Ne, Umeko, you learn any good propelling jutsus from the guy?"

She nodded, not yet ready to speak as she slowly rose and leaned over the back of the ship. Presently, they were moving west again, the three of them silent as the sun set and stars came out above them. There was nothing to be said.


	7. Rumors of My Demise

Work has been slow, so I've been able to write a bit more. Don't get used to being updated so quickly, though. ^_^ See fist chapte rfor all disclaimers.

**Chapter 7**: Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. . .

"He killed the Mizukage!"

Naruto and Kakashi glanced at each other, ready to spring into action as they listened to the conversation happening only a short distance away.

"Yes, I know, I was there!" Hideaki's voice was clearly exasperated. "But his welcoming tea had been poisoned, and the Mizukage practically admitted to the deed!"

"He looks fine, though. . ."

"He got better, baka! But that's not the point!" Hideaki took a moment to take a deep breath. "The point is, we can not afford a war with Konoha. So put down the damn swords and help figure out how to avert getting our asses handed to us even worse than we did just now."

There was silence. Then a new voice, this one sharper than the other had been. "We need to try to restart negotiations, and to do that, we need a Kage. I nominate Hideaki for that role, at least in the interim, since he was the only person with the guts to publically disagree with the former Mizukage's plan."

"Santo—"

"Shut it, Hideaki. Not only that, but your sister can protect you should things not turn out well. I doubt she would be quite as willing for anyone else. You're quite right that we can't afford a war, especially not with Konoha."

Other voices chimed into agreement, and Iruka smirked as he heard Hideaki's reluctance acceptance. "Alright. But only until we've had time to choose a permanent Mizukage."

"Good," Iruka murmured softly. "Of the available options, that was certainly the most favorable." He sighed, then raised his voice to normal levels, addressing Naruto. "Our backup team should be arriving soon, you may wish to tell the new Mizukage to let them through, ANBU-san."

Only a few minutes later, a cloud of agitated kikai announced the arrival of Shino, Sakura and Hinata.

"Shino, before we can restart negotiations, I need you to send a message to the other Kages and the fleets." Iruka said as Sakura checked him over, Hideaki paling as his worries were confirmed. "Tell them that we're all alright, and to hold off the invasion. Tell them too that there is a new Mizukage who is more cooperative, and things look promising."

Shino nodded. He would also add that little detail about what happened to the former Mizukage. It would give people some amusement to read that.

* * * * *

"Message from Shino, Hokage-sama!"

Tsunade and Shizune hurried over to the table, reading the message spelled out in kikai.

The assistant started to giggle as Tsunade shook her head. "Why am I not surprised. . ." she murmured.

"Hokage?" The room had stilled, expecting more serious reactions, puzzled by the suddenly lighter atmosphere.

Shizune answered in her stead. "Well, basically, according to Shino, the former Mizukage poisoned Iruka's Welcoming Tea. Iruka, dying, managed to cut his throat with the Mizukage's own knife, and died, causing Kakashi and Naruto to completely go off. Then Iruka, and I quote, '_got better from being dead_,' calmed Naruto and Kakashi, and is now restarting negotiations with the new Mizukage, who seems more willing to cooperate, and would we mind holding off the invasion for now. . ."

The room was silent as she trailed off, until it was broken by the sound of Izumo sniggering.

* * * * *

"He . . . got better?" Azuri blinked in surprise.

Gaara looked at his admiral. "It's happened before. . ." he said, glancing back down at the message. "Although, it was probably different this time. . ." he frowned. "We will continue with all speed to the rendezvous point. Even if the invasion is called off, I may be needed to help with containment."

The ship suddenly shuddered and groaned as the feeling of the waves changed. "That would be the Northeast current," Azuri nodded to himself. "If we keep the engines at full, we'll make the rendezvous in a matter of hours. Should I tell the others the war's been called off?"

Gaara gazed stoically out a porthole. "Tell them recent developments indicate we may not have to fight after all, but we won't know for sure at least until we reach the rendezvous, maybe the island itself. . ."

* * *

"Huhn."

"Hm?"

"Nah, it's just uh . . . the kikai the Hokage sent so I could update the Tsuchikage. . . that chakra blast. . . um. . . "

Akamaru wined from where he lay at his master's feet.

Kankuro finally tired of Kiba's uncharacteristic hesitancy and walked over to see the message for himself. He paused for a moment.

"Clearly, Naruto has mastered the ability of raising the dead." He deadpanned. "We'll need to prepare for the zombie invasion."

Kiba scowled, punching Kankuro in the side. "Maybe you crazy Sand-nins are used to folk dying and getting better, but it's a little unusual for us humble Leaf shinobi."

Kankuro sat next to his lover, hand automatically reaching down to softly scratch the top of the dog's head. "Nah, it's just my crazy little brother. You get used to not showing surprise when growing up around him. I'm glad your teacher is okay, and even more glad that we may yet avoid another war. We should probably go update the Tsuchikage on the situation."

Kiba nodded. "Yeah, let's go."

* * *

" . . . And so, from what we can tell, the natural magnetic distortions and gravity wells prevented the spike of Sigma radiation from being detected any farther away than Artemis. Aries was in the area, but reported nothing, likewise Ceres and Persephone."

"So the location is still hidden, Captain?"

"Yes, sir. If it had been out here, it would have registered at least as far as Hades, but being on the ground, it was contained."

"Hades." The other man sighed. "God damn, what I wouldn't give to be able to harness that. Just a break in the endless dying would be nice. Instead, it's like God is teasing us with survival . . ." he trailed off, the old bitterness lacing his voice again.

"Is that all, sir?"

The man nodded. "Keep an eye open on the place, make sure you get as much data as you can if this happens again. You are dismissed."

* * *

It was nearing evening when the Suna fleet came upon a small craft floating listlessly in the sea, three small leaf genin and what looked to be a dead jonin. Gaara came to the foredeack when he heard the commotion.

"C'mon, kids," Azuri was trying to cajole and yell at the same time. "It's clear from here you're dehydrated. Let's get some water in you—we're going to meet with your people anyway, we'll take you there."

"With all due respect, Admiral" came the reply, in a voice Gaara recognized. "We're under the strict orders of the Hokage herself to return to the Konoha forces, and we certainly cannot share this dead jonin with anyone not of the Leaf."

The small boat came into view as Gaara stepped up the rail. "Yamamaru," he called. "Are you and your team well?"

"Gaara-sama!" The boy grinned in relief. "We're a bit thirsty and hungry—we took down a Kiri jonin! But other than that, we're pretty okay!" His last words were belied at his swift glance to Umeko. "Your admiral was trying to convince us to get on your fine ship, but I'm afraid we can't do that!"

Gaara nodded, knowing better than to try to argue with stubborn Konoha shinobi. "Would it be acceptable for us to send over some water and food, and to escort you to the Konoha fleet?"

Yamamaru glanced at Ringo, who nodded. "Yeah, I think that'd be okay. Mind if we tie ourselves to you? Our team needs some rest."

Gaara allowed himself a small smile. Naruto would skin him alive if he let anything happen to his kids, and his team knew it.

"Admiral, assemble some fresh water, food and medical supplies. I will take them over, and ensure their well being."

"Ambassador, surely one of the chunin—"

"Naruto is their jonin-sensei. They know me." Gaara scowled. "And he'd be very angry with me if I didn't look out for them."

Azuri nodded his understanding. "Well, we can't have that, can we?"

* * *

They it had been several hours, and they hadn't stopped for supper, the new Mizukage and Iruka both preferring to work through and get a solid foundation for productive negotiations. Hideaki was surprised and pleased to find Iruka an honorable, compassionate man, given to thinking proposals through completely, and trying to come up with solutions that would be mutually beneficial, or at least mutually neutral. The man had an uncanny read of the situation not just in Kirigakure, but in all the known shinobi lands, and several times he had even taken the role of arguing points on behalf of Suna or Iwa, pointing out weaknesses and problems that, if only Kiri and Konoha were concerned, would not have been considered.

It had been dark for several hours before Hideaki realized that it was his place to call for a recess in the negotiations, and if he didn't say something, everyone would force themselves to stay awake all night. Frankly, the day had already been too long for that.

"Alright," he sighed. "I think we're off to a good start Iruka-san. I suggest we all retire for the night and get back together at midmorning. I, for one, have had a long, exhausting day, and would very much like to sleep, and I'm sure the rest of you are tired as well. Please, sleep well."

The whole team decided to stay in one room, not yet trusting the local shinobi enough to split their forces.

"I'll take first watch," Naruto volunteered. "Hinata after me, and then Sakura. Shino, make sure your bugs are well dispersed."

Kakashi frowned—it was unlike Naruto to volunteer for first watch so easily. "Naruto, you need to rest. You blew the top off the damn mountain."

He was answered with a wan smile. "I'm fine, Kakashi-sensei, and I will rest. But Shino and his kikai have been working all day, and you need to keep watch on Iruka-sensei—"

"I'm fine now!" Iruka muttered, but Naruto kept on as though he hadn't heard.

"Who was dead, you know, and we're all worried about him. So, I'd rather take first watch, then Hinata gets second watch with her eyes, and then Sakura's such a morning person I'm sure she won't mind waking before dawn!"

"Naruto—" the feminine growl was a nostalgic reminder for Kakashi of former days, when he had been their jonin-sensei. Although, he'd have to intervene now if she punched him in the head. But, that said, what Naruto said made sense, even if he still had the feeling there was an ulterior motive.

"Alright." He conceded. "But make sure you get a good sleep before you do anything tomorrow. No one likes a grumpy fox in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah" Naruto waved him off, sitting on a ruined window ledge as the others settled down. Soon, night closed around them, silent save for the sound of nocturnal jungle birds calling out in the moonlight. Naruto watched as the stars wheeled overhead, the Milky Way a jagged scar through the sky. When the time came, he awoke Hinata, and settled down on his bedroll. But even after Hinata had spent her time and been replaced by Sakura, Naruto was still awake, unable to sleep in the dark.

As dawn lit the sky, Naruto's sluggish mind finally worked out just how bad a problem he had. He was a shinobi. And he was now afraid of the dark.

His eyes finally fluttered closed as sunlight flooded their room, his last thought fleeing with the shadows.

_Sasuke's never gonna let me live this down._

________________

The next chapter (8) will be published when I've finished with nine. There's gonna be some explainin' of stuff comin up, so keep yer britches on. I just have to allow our characters a moment's peace for that to happen, so, plat stuff first, then long metaphysical discussions. Who doesn't love philosophy! Yay!! ^________^!


	8. Meetings

Chapter 8: Meetings

They had made good time over the water. Lee had enthusiastically piggybacked on Gai, the rest of the team simply running over the waves with small, controlled bursts of chakra. While Sasuke wasn't sure he really wanted to watch the "Beautiful Green Beast of Konoha Super Fast Piggy Back Water Running Technique!" ever again, at least the rest of the company was pleasant.

Which meant, _silent_.

Tenten and Neji's content silence more than made up for the thousand-decibel caterwauling of their sensei and teammate, a fact that Sasuke appreciated more and more as they progressed toward Kiri. The few times they would stop for brief rests, first in the forests and then on tiny islands little more than sandbars, the two loud spandex men would go do whatever strange loud spandex things they did – usually involving gushing many tears and sudden beautiful sunsets-- while the rest of them would rest, meditate, and otherwise enjoy the brief stillness.

But Sasuke never complained, and only rolled his eyes a few times. After all, Beautiful Green Beast Junior had made his friend (and, he admitted only to those closest to him the woman he considered a sister) deliriously happy, and for some reason, he was one of the few very close friends Gaara had made. Those two facts alone made Lee valuable in Sasuke's eyes, and Sasuke would tolerate anything for the sake of his new family.

Likewise, Beautiful Green Beast Senior was a friend of Kakashi-sensei's, one of the few in Konoha who had never stopped struggling to be his friend. And while their relationship was different than Naruto and his own, he still saw the parallels, and so found that he could no more complain about Gai's exuberance about "Youth!" than he could begrudge Naurto's unnatural love for "Ramen!"

Added to this strange affection he felt for both of them was the fact that he was-- despite ability, skill, and experience-- the lowest ranked member of the team, and they were here to keep him out of trouble. Because, of course, letting formerly traitorous Uchiha's loose was universally considered a risky idea. So Sasuke kept his head low and silent as they traveled.

That said, although he was officially a genin, no one on the team treated him as such, because it's had to treat as a genin a man with a record such as Sasuke's. The team shared equally in whatever tasks were needed as they went. Sasuke found he was even pleased with their speed, for Neji hated to dither about when a fight was waiting, likewise with Tenten—always feeling the need to prove her worth, and the two Green Spandex Men reveled in their speed. Sasuke himself might have had trouble keeping up were he not driven my anxiousness for his husband. And so they sped through the emerald-dappled trees, across rolling rivers and quaint cross-road towns, and across white-topped waves and small islands until, at last, they caught sight of the Konohan fleet.

As senior member of their team, it was Gai who explained their mission, although the sight of Sasuke was sign enough of their urgency. The shinobi on the small ship they'd boarded—a clipper build for speed to serve as a scouting vessel—piled on the sails, and even broke out some oars while those who had useful water jutsu's helped propel them even faster. Gai turned and gave one of his few orders yet—mandatory rest and refreshment, especially for Sasuke.

"If you are needed," he'd said, unusually somber. "You will need to be in top form. Eat, drink, and rest. We can do no more until we arrive."

* * *

Hideaki had slept deeply, but not for long, as his new responsibly roused him from his exhausted slumber even as the sun rose, the clatter of running feet pulling him from his futon when he much rather would have stayed abed for at least a few more minutes.

"Ne, Kameko . . . what's the commotion?" His voice raised to a squeak as he stretched kinks out of his back, yawning and trying to speak all at once.

His sister looked solemn as she placed a mug of black coffee in his hands. "Drink your coffee. The armadas have been sighted to the west."

He froze for a moment, then gulped the coffee as fast as he could, scorching his mouth a bit as he did so. "Right! Let's go see. And get some one to bring someone from the Leaf delegation . . ."

Down the mountain he ran, beneath leaning palms, spice and gumbolimbo trees, dangling orchids and vines, perfuming the air as he ran past, pulling on Kage robes as he went, bare feet sliding on flag stones as he swerved and sprinted. He turned off of the newly cleared path to leap over some crumbling rocks to a high ledge that had survived the previous day. Arriving, he looked west over the sea, eyes widening slightly as he saw the golden waves blanketed with ships. To the south too, masses of ships approached, glittering in the morning sunlight.

Kameko and her mottled companion stepped up beside him, and gasped as they looked to the southern fleet. "Three dreadnaughts and five battleships. I had not thought any would still exist . . ."

"Is that bad?" he asked, eyes picking out the hulking metal ships flying the Suna flag.

They nodded. "If they chose, they could destroy this entire village from where they are. Farther, even. No Sand shinobi would need to step foot on our they likely wouldn't even use much chakra, if any. These are weapons from before Chakra was discovered."

"Why would no one have seen them before, if that were so?" Hideaki wondered aloud. "Why not use them against their previous enemies?"

Sanbi frowned. "It is likely they didn't know about them then. Ichibi would have known, but he was never sane enough to tell. The one called Gaara must have remembered after the tanuki was removed, and uncovered them. The dry air of their land would have preserved the ships rather well, and they seem to have remembered how to make them go. It is a good thing the world had forgotten them."

Hideaki gazed for some moments at the sea, chewing on his lower lip as he considered the implications of the demons words.

"How aggressive do they seem to be?" He asked the jonin on duty.

"Not very, sir." The woman replied. "They haven't moved into any sort of attack formation . . ."

"Very well. Put up the parley flag, we need them to come see that their people are well."

* * *

It took a very short time for the welcoming party to be assembled.

"Ah, good morning Iruka-san!" Hideaki gave a small bow with a smile. "I hope your night was restful."

Iruka bowed as well, returning the smile. "It was, thank you." He turned his gaze toward the water. "Kakashi, the group coming to check on us is your best friend, his students, and the rest of your team. Mizukage, when the boat arrives, I would like to send one of that team back to our quarters to relieve our medic."

"Of course, we will be ready to escort him immediately."

Kakashi frowned. Even his sharp eyes couldn't yet see who was approaching, so how did Iruka know?

The teacher's eyes slid to his left. "Ah, Gaara is coming as well. I propose he be considered a temporary representative of Suna. The sooner we can all arrange for a summit of the Kages, the better."

"Iruka . . ."

"I'll explain later, Kakashi."

Kakashi bit his tongue and nodded. Iruka had been acting odd since the day before—not _bad_ odd, certainly, at least not that he could tell. But there were times when Iruka looked far away, as though looking at things only he could see. And he would say things with such complete conviction, now. Like he knew exactly what it was that had spooked Naruto. He had explained it to Kakashi as they'd come down the mountain, and Kakashi wondered just how it was Iruka was so suddenly an expert when it came to demons.

Soon, two small boats approached, Kakashi not really surprised to see Gai, Neji, Tenten and Sasuke on one, and Gaara and a few Sand-nins on the other. Though how Iruka had figured. . .

"Ah! Dear Teacher of My Adorable Students!" Hideaki and Kakashi winced in unison as Gai's greeting washed over them. "So glad am I to see you standing, and breathing!"

Iruka shrugged. "It was a learning experience," he said, voice a soft contrast to Gai's exuberance. "I'm here to let you know all is well. The new Mizukage and I worked far into night to get a good start on an interim treaty." Iruka gestured to where Hideaki stood, flanked by Kameko and Sanbi.

Gai nodded, deep enough that it was almost a bow. "Mizukage-sama," his voice was much more formal and subdued. "Your island is much changed since I last visited."

The Mizukage allowed a small, wry smile. "Indeed," he replied "It is much changed even from yesterday morning. I fear we will be recovering from this error for some time . . ."

"Speaking of which. . ." Gai said as Gaara's party came ashore. "Is Naruto well?" A twitch of his fingers acknowledged the reason for Sasuke's presence.

Iruka made a see-sawing motion with his hand. "He was quite exhausted, but didn't find sleep until dawn. I am sure he will rest easier with his old genin team back together." Iruka didn't feel it necessary to mention that Sasuke was married to him. No need to tell the Mist nins everything, no matter how well intentioned these might be.

Gaara's sand discreetly caressed Sasuke's fingers, causing a small, nearly invisible smile on the latter's lips. "Gai-senpai, I request permission to seek out Naruto, and assure his stability."

Gai in turn looked to Iruka, who was the official head of the diplomatic team.

"Mizukage, you saw Naruto's distress yesterday. Sasuke can ensure that he is stable, and prevent any . . . aftershocks."

Hideaki nodded at Iruka's words. "Of course. I will have to insist, however, that your Shinobi stay either within the diplomatic quarters, this beach or what's left of the Kage suits. Until we have a better hand on the damage, and I have had a chance to speak with my people, I cannot guarantee the safety of any visitors outside those areas."

With a nod to Gaara and their seniors, Sasuke—with Ten-ten as his "chaperone"-- followed two other local shinobi up the mountain, Gaara stepping up to take his place beside Gai.

"Mizukage, as negotiations have restarted, I will be the temporary representative of Suna."

Kakashi looked sharply at Iruka, who merely smiled serenely.

"Of course," Hideaki nodded. "Welcome to Kirigakure, Ambassador."

With that, they slowly made their way back up into the village, discussing the health of various kages and villages—all in very polite, diplomatic terms, of course. They were a little over halfway back to the kage chambers when a Kiri chunin approached.

"Mizukage-sama, we have those updates your requested last night."

Hideaki walked a few paces away from the diplomatic teams, letting his sister be hostess while he attended to this matter. "Reizo, what do you have?"

The short chunin handed over some tallies. "Despite the massive damage to infrastructure, the loss of life was not nearly as extensive as expeected. In fact, aside from some incidental injuries reported here—" he pointed to a series of figures on the top report "—loss of life was limited to a very specific set of individuals."

"Really? Aside from my predecessor, who?"

Reizo pulled a medallion on a chain out of his pocket. "The Mizikage was wearing this when he died. Everyone who was killed in yesterday's events either had one of these, or a tattoo with the same symbol."

Hideaki stared at the shining metal medallion, lips curling in disgust as he took it from his chunin's waiting hands. "Well, that explains a lot, I suppose. Thank you, Reizo. You may return to your work."

Reizo saluted smartly before leaving to return the clean-up. The Mizukage returned to his guests. Although reluctant to reveal what should be an internal matter, perhaps revealing some of the cause of his predecessor's madness would be a step toward building trust.

"You should know, I suppose, that despite appearances, loss of life was relatively small. There are a good number of injuries due to flying debris, but the scope of death was limited to people either with a tattoo or medallion like this."

He showed them the medallion, Gaara's sand hissing and Sanbi growling in response.

"The Mark of Jashin," Kakashi murmured. "I was unaware the cult still had that much of a presence on the island."

"Yeah, well, when ninja's take something underground, they really go underground." Hideaki replied with a snarl. He himself had never had any fondness for that twisted mess that called itself a religion.

"When Lord Kyuubi's vessel wakes, he should be informed." Sanbi and Kameko said. "It looks like this was done on purpose, which would not surprise us." They turned to their brother. "This will open the way for those changes you seek. If I may suggest, address the people tonight. The sooner they start getting used to things changing around here, the better."

The negotiations progressed well that day, with the usual number of sticking points and obstacles, but generally positive feelings. When Naruto and Sasuke joined them in the remains of the formal Kage offices, they were shown the medal found on the former Mizukage.

"Gah!" Kyuubi fumed, Naruto's eyes burning red as Kyuubi expressed his ancient hatred. "I _thought_ I smelled that fuckin' guy! God, I hate him _so_ damn much!"

"He's real?" Shino asked. He hadn't thought Jashin actually existed outside the delusional minds of his devotees.

"Yeah," Kyuubi growled through blackened lips. "That bastard is. . . well, if all of humanity is our mother, this guy is our father." He took a deep breath, not wanting to hurt his vessel. "You remember, Kakashi, when I explained how we bijou were made? All that pain and rage and such from the humans? Well, humans, due to their nature, usually have a certain amount of crap to deal with."

Dark purple eyes slid toward Iruka, then away again. "And usually," he continued "they do pretty okay at it. Unless this fucker gets involved, in which case all bets are off. Everything he touches is stained, twisted and perverted. It was his followers that caused the wars that created us, though they called him by different names at the time."

"So then," Iruka murmured, "Jashin is simply the current name for . . ." his voice trailed off as his eyes narrowed.

"Exactly," Kyuubi replied, clawed hands poking the air in punctuation. "And I'd bet this particular cult has been around since the founding of this village."

The Mizukage sighed. "That would certainly explain certain traditions we've had, traditions I mean to end."

* * *

Later that night, Hideaki stood before the gathered shinobi of Kirigakure, the visiting delegations watching from the shadows, as it wasn't their place to interfere. The central square had been mostly cleaned of debris, the large cage had been annihilated in Kyuubi's wrath, so a great majority of the villagers and shinobi could fit in as the sun set and the stars peeked out from wispy, moon-silvered clouds. Hideaki himself stood higher on the mountain, so that his voice would carry easier, and all might see him.

"Shinobi of Kirigakure, this has been a rough couple of days, hasn't it?" he began, a ripple of surprise making its way through the crowd. Mizukage's tended not to speak so informally.

"There is no need to tell you of what has happened here, for you have been quick to start rebuilding, and you have seen the damage sustained. Likewise, you know that a good number did not survive the event, including my predecessor. What you may not have realized, however, what that this destruction was the fault of none other than ourselves!"

An outraged cry met that announcement, but he held up his hands and projected his voice over their dismay. "It is true, and those of you senior enough to have knowledge of the previous Kage's decisions know it! The chakra storm that swept our village yesterday was the result of his treachery, and the fact that no one other than myself spoke up against the plan, even though all knew it was madness. The lack of protection was due to our own callousness toward others. I speak specifically of the way this village has treated my sister, who contains the Sanbi. Sanbi, a defensive demon, who could have sheltered our village, letting the storm pass over without harm. Sanbi, who along with her host, was kept locked in a cage in our central square to be scorned, ridiculed, and humiliated for every single day of her life.

"And for what? Why? Sanbi was captured and sealed into my sister to be our defense, to be our shield, and the village did everything it could to weaken her. Why? I'll tell you why . . ." Hideaki took a deep breath. They weren't going to like this, but they had to hear it.

"Because our village is weak—" the words were soft, but the response was not. He strengthened his voice again and continued over the shouts of outrage.

"Yes, weak! And afraid of the world! And in our fear, we have only made ourselves weaker! It was first noticed decades ago, when Umino Kawauso and his clan fought against the Washi clan, who were in the practice of killing their weaker children at birth. Umino won, and for that we exiled them, casting them out for daring to question the brutal methods of others. Away the Umino fled, until they found shelter in Konoha, where their belief in compassion was accepted and has become the core of their rising strength—strength _we could have had_, but chose to exile!

"Since that time, we massacred and drove away all with kekkei genkai, simply because they were different, and we were frightened. But who among us have not heard of the Hyuuga, with their all seeing eyes? The Uchiha Sharingan? Mokuton, which built the village of Konoha? Hyoton, which once cooled the blood of those struck with fever? What strength we drove away in our fear!

"And if the genocide against the bloodlines were not enough to slake our fear and blood-lust, half our young slaughter each other each year simply to become genin—cutting our available forces in half before they even have a chance to exist! So damaging is this to the psyches of the survivors, that of those who make genin, only one in ten survives past three years—and _more than half of them are killed within this very village because of the instability that we planted within them_!"

"But it's our way!" a voice cried in protest, accompanied by other shouts of _"Our Way!"_

"Ways change!" Hideaki yelled back. "Who among you would cut of one hand before battle, simply because it wasn't as strong as the other? Who among you would shatter your knives, simply because they weren't as sharp as your sword? It would be senseless—and so too is the way we kill ourselves!"

The sudden silence indicated that his point had struck home.

"The Seven Swordsmen of the Mist—renowned throughout the world for their skill and strength—knew this, and so we lost them after they attempted to wrest our village back into sanity. This madness must come to an end! No more slaughter of our children! No more suppression of unique strengths or unusual skills!"

"But Mizukage, will become simply another Konoha then?" an older kunoichi's voice rang out. "Shall we loose all that makes us Kirigakure?"

Hideaki allowed himself to relax a small amount. As he had suspected, the rest of the village was tired of the endless bloodshed among themselves, and most especially the older kunoichi and shinobi who were tired of watching their children slaughter each other. But it was hard to change what had been ingrained over years of fear and terror.

"No," he replied. "We shall not become imitations of some other village. Can anyone say that Suna has become a copy of Konoha? Or that Iwa has lost her way? No, none can say that, for they are as much their own people as they have ever been—only stronger, healthier, and more vigorous than ever before. Has Konoha ever brought forth a team of Swordsmen such as we once had? Can Konoha boast of weapons as beautiful as those made by our obsidian? Is there anywhere in the Shinobi Nations that knows our natural abundance of fruits or emeralds? Are not our spas the envy of the world?"

He paused, taking a deep breath. "We have a lot of rebuilding a head of us, but the wound that has long festered in our heart has been lanced at last, the infection cleaned out. Let us take this chance to build our village into something that will be the envy of the world! Let us allow ourselves to become as strong as we can, so that we need not fear the world anymore! Let us commerce with other nations to our mutual benefit, that our children—_all_ of our children—may help make a village and a world worth living in. We have been given a chance to restart, to rebuild ourselves from the ground up, without the burdensome nightmares that have weighed us down for so long.

"You protested that you were not afraid, not weak. Well, I challenge every member of this village to prove it to me. Show me you are not afraid by seeking friendships, not just among yourselves, but to those who have come to our shores. Show me that you are strong by letting go of poisonous traditions, by keeping the ways that still have value, and by sharing your strength with others.

"The nightmare of our history has ended. Now is the time to dream it all up again. My challenge to every man, woman and child on this island is this: Dream up the brightest, best future you can, and make it happen. Do you think you have the strength for this? _Do you_?"

The resounding cheer was answer enough.


	9. Lights on the Water

Chapter 9: Lights on the Water

For those who haven't gotten replies to reviews, my most sincere and hearty apologies! The world is strange, and growing more so, and this limits my writing time. T_T Replies will be coming, though, promise!

Partial explanation of a few things this chapter, partial in the next. I am bringing in a character in this chapter that I originally didn't plan on, but Yamipenguin over on LJ sorta mentioned the person, and then little plot-bun-chibis started hoppin about. . . So, blame her.

(AN: The chapter begins takes place in about the same time frame as the previous chapter)

* * *

Udon was asleep, and Moegi out foraging. Konohamaru sat in his tree, watching the ninja watching him. Konohamaru had claimed it as _his_ tree the second night after they'd reached their station, loudly proclaiming that if Udon and Moegi wanted to snog each other senseless, fine, but not in _his _tree, dammit!

He had even gone so far as to carve "Sarutobi Konohamaru's Tree—Keep Out, Morons!" on the bottom of the trunk. It was childish, beneath his dignity as a Sarutobi and as a Chunin. . . but he was cranky with being stuck out here at the edge of a "god forsaken swamp" while everybody else was off helping fight Mist. While everybody else was helping Naruto, he was stuck swatting mosquitoes with a nose full of _swamp_-air. Moegi and Udon quickly learned to avoid his short temper.

It hadn't taken long for their observations to be observed, which was fine. They weren't there to fight, they were there to make sure Cloud didn't get any _ideas_. If it was seen that the borders were still being watched, so much the better.

He watched the other ninja go through her bag, scowling as she didn't find what she was looking for. She was quite pretty, he thought, long, silky blonde hair and slightly slanted eyes that reminded him of the Fire-lord's cat. But way, way prettier. . . granted, she was also way too old for Konohamaru's taste, but that didn't mean he couldn't appreciate what was in front of his eyes.

He watched as she thoroughly emptied her pack of weapons, bandages, womanly things. . . but no rations. He snickered softly as he realized what had her scowling. She was clearly hungry, and something had run off with her food. Her dark eyes narrowed in annoyance, full lips peeling back to reveal. . .

_Oh, now that's interesting. . ._

"Nee, lady, I got some extra rations if you want!" The words had left his mouth before he'd given much thought. Her black eyes swiveled at him, assessing him.

"Why would you share with me?" she demanded.

He shrugged. "Maybe. . . 'cuz I have extra, and you got robbed by a tanuki while you slept?"

She slowly repacked her bag. "And how do I know you won't poison me?"

Konohamaru grinned. "Because I'm such a nice guy, of course!" he chuckled. "Don't know why you'd be worried anyway, not like poison could hurt you even if I tried. . ."

She froze. "What makes you think poison wouldn't hurt me?"

"Well, I remember learning a lot of things in Iruka sensei's class." He shrugged. "Don't bake-neko eat poison for their food? So your resident would keep you safe from that . . ."

Silence fell at the swamp edge. "How did you know?" came the soft reply.

Konohamaru's grin returned full force. "Because Naruto and Kyuubi-san taught me how to recognize demon-sign. Your pretty eyes and fangs gave you away." The grin dimmed to a smile. "Everyone thought Akatsuki had killed you, Yugito-san. I guess the bearer of Nii-bi would be the one to get around death. Well, aside from Gaara-san, but that was different. . ."

Her dark eyes closed momentarily. "You speak of Kyuubi-sama as though you know him personally." Her voice was doubled, cold fire flickering through her eyes as they opened again. Konohamaru was glad something interesting was finally happening on this mission. He bowed respectfully from his branch.

"It's an honor to meet you, Niibi-san. I do know Kyuubi-san personally. His host is my sempai, Uzumaki Naruto. He's told us a lot about the demons, and the ancient world. He tells some of the best stories. . ."

The scowl returned to the blonde's face. "We find the thought of Kyuubi telling bedtime stories to be a little . . . unlikely."

"Yeah," Konohamaru shrugged. "We thought so too when he started, but. . . he's changed, Niibi-san. He's now. . ." He wracked his brain for a good comparison. ". . . he's like Scrooge-san. Bad tempered, just as powerful, but not so, you know, _evil_. . ."

"He _has_ told you the old tales. . ." their voices trailed off. Yugito sat in thought for a moment, the cold fire fading from here eyes. "Niibi agrees that being contained for an extended time changes them. It's why she brought me back. Or rather, never let me leave properly." She was silent again, before turning back to him. "Now that we've chatted half the hour away, perhaps you will share some of your food, and your name with me?"

Konohamaru grinned. Too bad for Udon he'd slept through all this.

* * *

Sasuke allowed himself a small smile as Sakura embraced him, her pink hair tucked beheath his chin as she withheld her traditional squeal of delight.

"Sasuke!" she whispered as she pulled back, eyes shining. "I can't believe they let you out. And you have a new hitai-ate, too. You got reinstated?"

"As a genin," he grunted. "They were worried about . . ." his eyes slid to the form curled up on the floor.

"Of course," she smiled. "I'll go with Ten-ten, and see if they'll let us help the wounded . . ."

Sasuke heard little more as he dropped his pack and slid out of his sandals. The sword he laid beside the futon as he curled protectively around his husband.

"MMmmph. . ." Naruto wiggled as the new presence registered, turning over and one eye groggily opening. "Sasssskeee" he slurred. "Mm, nice dream." He snuggled into Sasuke's chest, and fell back asleep.

Sasuke watched, content, as the sun crept across their forms. Now and then Naruto would stir, Sasuke's voice soothing him back into sleep, until about noon.

Naruto stirred again, bright blue eyes opening in surprise. "You're really here . . ." he smiled as he sat up. "Didja run away again?"

Sasuke chuckled, sitting up next to him. "No, they reinstated me as a genin. I have to be in the company of a Konoha Jonin or ANBU at all times, though. They were worried about you and Kyuubi . . ."

"Mmm," Naruto stretched. "Well, as you can see, we're fine—"

"Tell me another one, Naruto." Sasuke growled. "I know you didn't sleep until sunrise, even though you had first watch. Why didn't you sleep?"

Naruto sighed. He really didn't want to tell Sasuke, it was such a silly thing. But Sasuke could wring secrets from stones if he wanted. "Let's get something to eat. I'll tell you over breakfast."

They wandered through the ruins between the offices and their quarters, finally finding a booth with a fresh coat of paint and delicious smells coming from within. The man had been a little hesitant at first, but Naruto's charm won out, and they were soon both seated over steaming plates of fish and small bowls of fresh fruit.

They ate in silence for a few minutes before Naruto scowled. "Alright, since I know you're not gonna let this go. . . some stuff happened, which caused some other stuff. . . and now, I'm kinda, just a little bit, maybe afraid of the dark. . . in a way. . ." Naruto refused to meet Sasuke's eyes, shamed that such a ridiculous thing would keep him from sleeping.

"Afraid of the dark?" Sasuke repeated. "That is . . . troublesome. . ."

Naruto chuckled. "You sound like Shikamaru. I'll get over it, eventually. It's just, when it's so fresh. . ."

"What, exactly, brought this fear about?"

Naruto shifted in his seat as he finished his bowl. He contemplated another, but decided he really didn't want the owner of the booth overhearing this part. They paid and left, walking slowly toward the Kage offices, loosely holding hands with each other.

"Yesterday, when Kyuubi . . " Naruto gestured to the devastation around them. "It was real bad. From what he says, he sorta . . . bent space and time a bit in here and. . . maybe tore a hole or two . . . and . . . I saw something humans aren't supposed to see." He paused as they passed an overlook, the combined Konoha and Suna fleets waiting peacefully in the waves beneath them.

"Um. . .it's hard to describe. It's like. . . the world—it's real, but it's also like an illusion, projected onto the surface of a great . . . Gaah!" Naruto ran his hand through golden locks. "This is so complicated; I'm not smart enough for this!"

"Just take your time . . ." Sasuke's thumb made soothing circles on the back of Naruto's hand. He waited patiently, watching blue eyes gaze over the water. Eyes that widened when struck with sudden inspiration.

"Okay. Umm. . .All the physical universe, from the smallest atom to all the galaxies and the space between them, all of _that_ is like sunlight cast upon the surface of the sea." He gestured out to the sun-glittering waves. "But unlike the sea, the light doesn't go through. It just dances on the surface. It's real, but it's also an illusion, okay?"

Bright eyes met dark, and Sasuke nodded.

"So, any sentient being—human, summons, everything except some types of demon, are originally from that bright beginning. You and I are not just this—", he shook Sasuke's hand, "Any more than the rays of the sun are just flashes on the water. The flash is a part of the ray, though, right?"

Sasuke nodded again, slowly.

"So, the very essence of our being is that light. . ." Naruto chewed his lower lip. "But the void the universe is projected on . . . It's the opposite. It's utter nothing, Not-being . . ."

"Like before the universe was made?" Sasuke asked, dimly recalling childhood lessons.

"No." It was emphatic as Naruto's narrowed eyes assumed a violet cast. "That was Pre-Being, the void that was _pregnant_ with Being. . . like an acorn is _not_ a tree, but contains all the burgeoning potential of a great oak, just waiting to burst forth into being." Eyes shaded back to blue, with only hints of purple.

"The void beneath is the negation of everything that is. A great sucking lack of _Is-ness_. . ."

He paused, as Sasuke nodded once more to show his comprehension.

"The demons were born on the surface of the void, right beneath—if un-space can use such terms—the physical universe. Ichibi was first and deepest, Kyuubi last and closest to physicality. It didn't help things that they experienced time, being half created from human stuff, even though time doesn't really exist there. It's what drove Ichibi mad."

Naruto took a deep breath. "When Kyuubi made those tears in space and time, I saw the void. He tried to stop me from looking, but you know me, I did anyway. . . " he trailed off.

Sasuke squeezed his hand. "It did not drive you mad, koi, so I'd say being afraid of the dark is doing pretty well." He brought his other hand to Naruto's cheek. "I'm so glad I didn't loose you."

The blonde leaned into the touch. "You almost did. I _was_ lost. I was . . ._Not_, for a . . . span . . . but Iruka-sensei brought me back." His eyes sharpened. "Something happened to Iruka-sensei," he said. "Kyuubi is . . . not _afraid_ of him . . .it's more like _loads_ of respect, _awe_ even."

Sasuke leaned their foreheads together. "Well, he seemed okay when he and Kakashi met us on the beach this morning. Kakashi-sensei looked appropriately possessive and twitchy, but Iruka-sensei seemed pretty much as usual." He smiled. "Tell you what, let's go join them in the negotiations. You can try to figure Iruka out while scaring the crap out of the locals. Between you and Gaara, things should go quite well."

"Gaara's here too?" Naruto pulled back. "Asshole!" he exclaimed, mock-punching Sasuke in the arm. "You never said anything about our other husband being here, too! C'mon!"

The revelation of the former presence of Cult of Jashin explained a lot of things about Kiri customs, and both Naruto and Sasuke hoped that Hideaki would be successful in his efforts to reform an entire society.

The Konoha and Suna shinobi watched the Mizukage's speech from a building next to the square, wanting to witness, but not wanting to be seen as an undue influence.

"I hope this works," Naruto fretted from his place between Gaara and Sasuke. "Hideaki seems like a really great guy . . ."

Iruka smiled, leaning contentedly against Kakashi. "It should go well. There's a slight possibility a few may cause trouble, but most of the problem people were taken out by Kyuubi. Those remaining are afraid, but desiring something better."

Kakashi frowned, his visible eye narrowing, as his arm tightened around his husband. "Iruka, how do you know that?"

Iruka smiled. "I can see it." The smile dimmed as the eyes grew distant. "I can see a lot, now."

"You can see—"

Iruka brought his fingers to Kakashi's mask. "Tomorrow, my love. Tomorrow these negotiations will conclude, the plans for the summit will be in place, and you and I will retire to a cabin of our own on the _SeaWolf_, and then I will explain. I promise you that."

Kakashi nuzzled his mask into Iruka hair. "I will hold you to that."


	10. Sexy Metaphysics

Ahm. . . noope, no excuse. Just life.

Loveletta: Yeah, I suppose that was a Christmas gift. I'd originally planned to have this chapter out right after, so was gonna say it was a Hannuka gift, but then I got picky with things, and there was editing, then delays. . . so, yeah. That would be a Merry Christmas. I suppose htis makes a late Happy Easter!

Sejitsu: I'm glad you like Yugito. I wasn't sure how her being around would be received, but seeing as she's got the ghost cat *shrugs* And yeah, Kyuubi's got a bit of Scrouge in him. . . lol. . . glad you liked that chapter, this one's got your KakaIru Metaphysical Love-fest *snickers*

Dobby123: Finally is, in fact, the proper word. glad you liked it.

Holen-Snape: I'm glad you're liking this. As for where it's going, I believe one could say it's going where no ninja has gone before. . .^_^.

Okay, so reminder y'all, if you recognize anything from anywhere else, I don't own it. New characters, however, are all mine.

Multi-dimentional theory is a mix of . . . lotsa things. Bit of string theory, bit of Kabbalah, pinch of this and dash of that, you know. . .

Chapter 10: Sexy Metaphysics

Umeko, Ringo and Yamamaru sat despondently on the foredeck of the _Tiajuana Darlin'_, a mid-sized vessel in the middle of the Konoha fleet. Relieved of the Jonin's corpse, Ibiki had ordered them to stay on the ship until called. No battles had started, and they'd heard that maybe the negotiations would work out anyway, which was good. And yet, here they were, away from their sensei, unable to fulfill any of their standing orders, and it really seemed like they'd been forgotten. They had seen the half-pitying looks some of the shinobi sent their way, but none had said anything. They wondered if they'd somehow gotten in trouble.

Umeko was the first to notice the sandals that stopped in front of them. "Sensei—" she breathed as they stood, hesitant.

"Oh, well, nice you're so excited to see me!" Naruto grinned, opening his arms in silent invitation. Umeko fell in, wrapping her arms around his waist with a little cry, Yamamaru and Ringo more slowly joining her in their teacher's arms.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay," Naruto said. "I've been hearing from the others about what you did. I'm very proud of you all." Their arms tightened around him with that.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. . ." Naruto pulled them back, pulling out a handkerchief for them to wipe their noses with. "I know how hard it is. It's a horrible thing, killing someone. But you did what you had to do. You were protecting each other, your precious teammates. You did very well, all of you."

Yamamaru sniffled. "Everyone's been so distant since we reported, we thought. . . we thought we were in trouble. . ."

Naruto sighed, ruffling Yamamaru's hair. "That's because the first person to talk to a shinobi after their first kill should be his or her jonin sensei, to help coach you through the aftershocks. Unfortunately, I was detained, and didn't even know you were still around until this morning. It's why Gaara, Sasuke, Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are still in the back of this boat until I'm done with you."

He sat on the deck. "So, according to what I've heard, you guys took down a Jonin who threatened you. Tell me about it."

So they all sat down and told him, first with slow, stuttering starts, then faster, from the moment they left the camp until the Suna armada escorted their little boat to the Konoha fleet. Naruto was silent for a small moment after they finished.

"You all did very well. I'll be putting your names in for the next Chunin exam, I think." Surprised gasps greeted him. "You're surprised? You've proven that you can follow orders, work as a team, and bring down an opponent more advanced than you. You may not pass the first time, but even so, you'll learn a lot and grow stronger from the experience. I'm very proud of you—all of you. Now, you look famished, so go get something to eat. We'll talk more later."

Naruto watched as their eyes brightened as they ran off to the galley to finally get something to eat. They would never be the same, but Ringo and Yamamaru would be alright. Umeko. . . he frowned to himself. Umeko had held something back in the retelling, something she Ringo and Yamamaru clearly didn't know. It was natural that she would be changed from the experience, and she had always been a quiet girl, but there was still something that just wasn't right.

He walked toward the aft. "Hinata-chan, can I ask you a favor?"

* * *

Kakashi sighed in relief as the cabin door closed behind him. He was finally off duty, surrounded by competent and friendly shinobi, and away from prying ears and eyes. He stretched as he toed off his sandals, smiling as Iruka unfastened the straps of his armor.

"So, you promised me. . ." He started. He wasn't sure how exactly to say _You've been acting a little weird since you died, and I was hoping you weren't going insane, or aren't just a really clever zombie. . ._

Iruka smirked as though he could hear Kakashi's thoughts, and pushed him onto the bunk, snuggling up under his shoulder and pulling down his husband's mask before he began.

Iruka sighed, trying to figure out how to explain. "You've noticed that I'm . . . a little different lately. But, I'm not different, really. In fact, I can definitely say that I'm more myself now than I have ever been." He looked into Kakashi's eyes, knowing the very first issue he had to address. "I'm still me, still the Iruka you know and love, still the Iruka who loves you, just . . . _more_ so . . . "

Kakashi frowned. "Okay. I expect more of an answer, though."

"Of course. I just wanted to get the important things out first." Iruka smiled, and snuggled back into Kakashi's chest. "I'm gonna start a little abstractly, but I promise it has a point." He felt Kakashi nod above him, the nose nuzzling into his hair. "Right. So, you know the relationship between a circle and a sphere, a square and a cube."

Kakashi nodded. "The circle is a two dimensional cross-section of a sphere, and likewise a square is a cross-section of a cube." Iruka smiled as Kakashi's voice rumbled in his ear.

"Right. One is a lesser dimensional cross section of greater dimensional reality. The next dimension, after depth, is time. So, if we took that sphere, it's forth dimensional shape would be that sphere through time, understand? Likewise, a person seen forth dimensionally would start small as a baby, grow big and then, if they lived into old age, would shrink a bit before ending, like a long snake or worm. The you of this exact moment is merely a cross-section of you through time. Outside of time, chibi-Kakashi, Grown-up Kakashi and Old Man Kakashi exist all at once. Do you follow?"

Kakashi nodded again, slowly. It was strange to think of himself as a worm shape winding through time, but it did make sense. "It's odd, but okay."

"Now, as your silhouette is the cross-section of your physical body at a given moment, and that body is a cross-section of you through time, that worm-through-time _itself_ is a cross-section of the greater you. All of time cannot contain the completeness of Kakashi. All of this life is but a cross-section, a small dimensional part, of the true whole. The Complete Kakashi exists outside of time, a small part of it dipping into the surface of the world like you would dip your fingers through the surface of a pool. This—" he gave Kakashi's torso a soft thump with his hand "Is you, well and truly. But it is certainly not _all_ of you."

Kakashi processed that for a few moments. "You're talking about . . . about people's souls?"

Iruka nodded. "Mmm-hmm. That's why religions since the dawn of time have insisted that there we are more than we think and yet, less. The truth of all sentience is that sentience _pre-exists_ the universe. Humans, summons . . . if a thing has self-awareness, then it existed _before_ it had physical form, not the other way around. So we are greater. But we cannot consider that greatness in terms of the mere physical universe, for that is a denial of our true natures. It's why the promises of physical immortality offered by Jashin are so abominable—meaning only that the awareness of that greater being is kept trapped in the physical realm like a bird in a too-small-cage. Physical immortality without transcendence, without the ability to access that higher existence, is worse than slavery. Only Hell itself is worse, for while we may be a bit cramped here in this plane, there is still goodness, truth, beauty. . ."

Kakashi nuzzled into Iruka's hair some more. "How many dimensions?"

Iruka shrugged. "I'm not sure. They get less defined the higher up you go. Ten, at the very least."

"And how does this relate to your recent. . . oddness? Are you a Buddha now?" Kakashi wasn't entirely sure he liked the implications for his love life. It would be a strange, awkward thing, being married to some sort of transcendent being. Although, if what Iruka said was accurate, they were all transcendent beings, only without such awareness.

Iruka smiled. "Well, when I died, it just meant I was not confined to a physical awareness anymore. I was briefly able to look down on the whole expanse of time in the same way a person can examine a rug on the floor. When I came back, I didn't fold myself in quite the same way to fit back into this dimension, leaving me with the ability to still see time at a slightly different perspective than most everybody else."

This, Kakashi thought he understood. "So, you can see the future now?"

"More or less." Iruka sighed. "I can see a little farther. Like, if everyone else is walking along the path, I'm walking in the trees above. I can see a little farther, I can see upcoming intersections and dangers, even the general shape farther out, but I can't see the whole thing. I also cannot see my own relationship to that path any better, since I cannot see myself from a perspective other than myself. So, I have no better knowledge that the next branch may be rotten, or trapped. . ."

"So, you can see the future, but not for yourself." Kakashi concluded, feeling Iruka nod. He bit his lip, uncharacteristically unsure of himself.

"Are we still married? I mean, our vows were until death, but . . ."

Iruka levered himself up, straddling his husband's lap, taking in the worry and hesitancy on Kakashi's face. "Kakashi, those vows were simply recognition of a bond that transcends time. You and I came to this time together for a reason. I need you to be my husband now more than ever."

Kakashi looked both relieved and taken aback. "Well, that's good. But, now that you're all _transcend-y_ and—" Iruka placed his finger's on Kakashi's lips, moving to straddle his hips. He'd thought the Buddha line was a quip to lighten the atmosphere, not a deeper issue.

"What, do you think I have to be celibate, now?" He smiled at Kakashi's fearful nod. "Kakashi, celibacy is for those _seeking_ the transcendent experience. Sex, after the initial high of orgasm, grounds people into the physical, and for good reason. If a person is seeking transcendence on their own, that grounding is counter-productive. But, if a person has, as you say, _gone all transcend-y_, they have the opposite problem. I may get lost in my gazes to the higher dimensions, but I still have important work to do here, so I need to be grounded. My hold on life is just a little more tenuous than everyone else's so I'll need to be grounded pretty regularly." He wiggled in Kakashi's lap. "I'll be counting on you, Kakashi, to do you job."

Kakashi blinked. "So. . .lots of sex?"

Iruka nodded. "I've been a bit spacey over the past few days because I haven't completely grounded yet, because you and I haven't been _alone_ yet." He gave a serious look to his husband. "The fate of the world may rest on your bedroom skills." He deadpanned. "You _up to it_, soldier?"

Kakashi rubbed his chin. "Fate of the world, you say? Lots of sex with the sexiest ninja alive, who happens to be a Kage-slayer and maker of world-renowned cookies? And happens to be my adorable husband? Hmmm . . ." he pretended to think. "well, I'll have to tell Raidou and Genma they can't come over anymore while you're teaching academy. . ."

"Rogue!" Iruka playfully swatted Kakashi, the latter laughing before quickly flipping them over, lowering his weight onto his husband.

"Oh," Kakashi sighed as he nibbled Iruka's neck. "I suppose I can manage . . ."

No one dared knock on the door for the next several hours.

* * *

"You are troubled."

Naruto sighed, the soft motion of the ship relaxing him, making him reluctant to answer Gaara's not-quite-question. He looked down, seeing Sasuke's dark eyes looking at him expectantly from where he rested on Naruto's chest. Beside them, Gaara lay on his side, head propped on bend arm, unblinking.

Naruto pouted. "Whatever happened to post-sex nap-time? I liked that tradition."

"It only works if you sleep," Sasuke grunted. "You've got too much going through your brain to sleep. You should give the poor thing a rest."

Naruto smiled, running finger's through Sasuke's hair, then turning to answer his other husband.

"I don't know what all you learn as pre-Genin in Suna, but when Sasuke and I were in Academy, one of the things Iruka-sensei taught us was how to listen to the wind. The weather in Fire country can change rapidly, and it's important to be able to predict changes in the weather. It's actually one of the first ways we learn to access our chakra, and become more aware of our surroundings. Part of it is being aware of physical changes—air pressure, humidity, temperature, all of that. But it's mostly learning to listen to our intuition. By the time we're Genin, we do it without thinking, constantly."

He huffed. "But, ever since a few days ago, it's all messed up. I feel like we should be on rough seas, but the skies are clear, and the wind calm. I think . . . I think I may have messed up my sensing when I _looked_. . ." There was no need to ask what that meant.

Sasuke shook his head. "No, it isn't just you. I've been thinking it was worry, but you and Gaara are now safe, Kakashi and Iruka-sensei are safe, all our friends are safe . . . but I still feel like we're watching a hurricane approach the shore."

"Is that--?" Gaara tilted his head. "That anticipation I've been feeling? Like, after the first shower of the rainy season, when the monsoon has yet to truly begin but you can feel it, just over the horizon?"

Naruto eyed his husbands warily. "So, it's not that I messed up my senses."

Gaara nodded as he snuggled up to Naruto, opposite Sasuke. "Whatever it is, lack of sleep won't help us." Gaara also appreciated naps.

"No wonder Kyuubi's been so damn twitchy." Naruto muttered, eyes drooping. "He better relax soon, or I'll go friggin'—" he yawned, "Insane. . ."

* * *

Reviews are nice. . .


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